Creamy Smoked Mozzarella Penne Pasta Salad

Creamy Smoked Mozzarella Penne Pasta Salad with baby spinach, roasted red bell pepper and an outstanding Parmesan cream sauce. This unique and hearty pasta salad recipe, that can be made in advance, will wow guests at your next potluck.

Most pasta salads conjure up images of elbow macaroni pasta covered in a traditional thick overly mayonnais-ed sauce. Believe me, I love these types of pasta salads, but if you’re like me, you’re always looking for something a bit more exciting. Something new and interesting to bring to the next potluck. Something you can make well in advance. Something that travels well. Something that will spark a conversation. After all, pasta is delicious and a pasta salad can be outstanding.

When it comes to grilling season, pasta salad always has a place at the table. We crave it, and never turn it down. This smoked mozzarella version completely reinvents the classic in a way that will have potluckers clamoring for seconds and asking for the recipe.

So What’s Different about this Pasta Salad?

• To start with…Perfect little cubes of smoked mozzarella. This is where you get to practice your knife skills. Cut each little cube of cheese as close to the same size as you can. And make them small cubes. You don’t want to those cubes of cheese to overwhelm, but blend in with the other ingredients in each and every bite.
• Penne pasta. Penne pasta is great for a pasta salad. Not only does the tube shape soak up the sauce, it’s sturdy enough to stand up to the thickest and creamiest dressing.
• The Parmesan Dressing: A beautiful combination of grated Parmesan cheese, mayo and white wine vinegar.
• Spinach and chopped roasted red bell pepper bring color and excitement to finish the salad.

Smoked Mozzarella:

Buy a good quality smoked mozzarella, like Belgioioso Smoked Mozzarella. With a light brown color on the outside and milky flavor on the inside. The texture was perfect and the hickory smoked flavor delicious and not too overwhelming.

Tips for this pasta salad:

Make sure the pasta has cooled to room temperature before adding the smoked mozzarella. If the pasta is too warm, the cheese will melt. You want an end result with perfect little cubes of goodness.

Make this recipe easy by purchasing a jar of roasted red red bell pepper. Or better yet, if your grocery store has an olive bar, you can usually find a pan of roasted red bell peppers there.

Use a wedge of good quality Parmesan Cheese. Not a container of pre-shredded Parmesan.

Recipe for Smoked Mozzarella Penne Pasta Salad with Parmesan Cream Sauce

I hope you give this penne pasta salad recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and let me know how you liked it and give the recipe a star rating.

Your feedback is valuable to me for developing future recipes. And if you have a favorite recipe using smoked mozzarella, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.

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• Creamy BBQ Ranch Black Bean Pasta Salad
• Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad with Dill
• The Best Pasta Salad Recipe Ever

4.67 from 3 votes

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Smoked Mozzarella Penne Pasta Salad

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

12 mins

Total Time

32 mins

 

Creamy Smoked Mozzarella Pasta Salad with Penne Pasta, baby spinach, roasted red bell pepper and an outstanding Parmesan cream sauce. This unique and hearty pasta salad recipe, that can be made in advance, will wow guests at your next pot luck.

Course: Pasta Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Penne Pasta Salad

Servings: 8

Calories: 304 kcal

Author: Adapted from Whole Foods

Ingredients

• THE PARMESAN DRESSING:
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
• 1/2 cup parsley chopped
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic minced (1 teaspoon)
• 1 Pinch New Mexico Red Chile Powder or cayenne
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• THE SALAD:
• 1/2 pound penne pasta
• 2 cups baby spinach packed, washed and stemmed
• 2 small roasted red bell pepper diced
• 1/2 pound smoked mozzarella cheese diced

Instructions

1. Prepare cheese and vegetables and set aside.

2. TO PREPARE THE PARMESAN DRESSING
3. Combine the Parmesan cheese, parsley, mayonnaise, vinegar, garlic, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper with a hand mixer or in the bowl of food processor or in a blender until the dressing is smooth.
4. TO PREPARE THE SALAD

5. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until it is al dente. Drain the pasta into a colander, run cold water over it until pasta comes to room temperature, and drain well. 

6. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, spinach, roasted red peppers, and smoked mozzarella. Add sauce and stir well.

Recipe Notes

Can be made in advance.

Nutrition Facts

Smoked Mozzarella Penne Pasta Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 304 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Fat 18g28%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Cholesterol 30mg10%

Sodium 454mg20%

Potassium 160mg5%

Carbohydrates 23g8%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 11g22%

Vitamin A 1290IU26%

Vitamin C 11.6mg14%

Calcium 204mg20%

Iron 1.1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.