Living La Vida Holoka


Loaded Pizza Pasta Salad

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If you love your pizza piled high with toppings like meat, cheese, and veggies, you’ll love this Loaded Pizza Pasta Salad made with pepperoni, veggies, mozzarella cheese, and other pizza inspired flavors!

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What’s your favorite kind of pizza?  While I won’t turn away a hot and bubbly slice of plain pie – or any pie for that matter – I really love a good slice of pizza piled high with veggies, meat, and cheese!  You get a little bit of everything in every bite!  Plus, I like to think that adding veggies to pizza makes it healthier, meaning I can have an extra slice!

We’re a big, pizza loving family.  We have pizza every Friday night and my entire family makes their own pies – there’s no delivery here! So while I was trying to think of a side dish that would stretch throughout the week, I instantly thought about making a pizza style pasta salad.  Then, I thought about making a loaded pizza pasta salad with veggies, pepperoni, and other pizza inspired flavors. 


Pasta salad is one of my go-to sides to make when I don’t have much else in the house.  As long as you have a box of pasta, some cheese, veggies, and a bottle of salad dressing, you can make a pretty delicious salad!  Plus, pasta salad always lasts us a while.  It not only makes an excellent side, but an easy, cold lunch during the summer months!

I usually make my pasta salads with tricolor pasta to give it a little more color.  But it’s actually been hard to find since the pandemic started.  Weird.  Right?  So I’ve been using chickpea or whole wheat pasta instead.  It’s not as colorful, but it works just as well!  

Loaded Pizza Pasta Salad 

 
Making pasta salad is really simple.  After cooking my pasta, I let it cool and chop up the rest of my ingredients.  For this salad, I used pepperoni, black olives, onion, a large green bell pepper, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes.  I also cut about half of a small block of mozzarella into cubes and finished the salad with Italian dressing.

I finish most of my pasta salads with a bottle of Italian dressing.  It adds just the right amount of zing!  I also like to keep a little extra dressing on the side to refresh the salad when needed.

Like most pasta salads, this salad gets better the longer it sits and soaks up every bit of flavor.  So if you want to whip it up a day ahead of time, go for it!  I would just suggest saving extra dressing for the next day.  You’ll be surprised at how fast the pasta salad soaks up the dressing! 

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Loaded Pizza Pasta Salad

Loaded Pizza Pasta Salad

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. rotini pasta
  • 1 stick pepperoni, cut into quartered pieces
  • 6 oz. black olives, sliced
  • 1 large green bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup red onion, diced
  • 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced
  • 1 cup baby bella mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, cubed
  • 16 fl. oz. bottle Italian dressing
  • Optional: fresh basil, fresh oregano, Pecorino Romano cheese

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta according to package.
  2. Rinse with cold water, allow pasta to cool, and add to a large bowl.
  3. Add the pepperoni, olives, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, mushrooms, and mozzarella to the pasta.
  4. Pour in the Italian dressing and stir.
  5. Serve pasta salad with fresh basil, oregano, and a sprinkle of Pecorino Romano cheese, if desired.
  6. Store up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
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Serve this salad with a sprinkle of Pecorino Romano, or Parmesan cheese, on top and some fresh basil and oregano leaves.  If you want to be bold and add a little kick, sprinkle some crushed red pepper flakes onto the salad, too! 

Did you make this Loaded Pizza Pasta Salad recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats. Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

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Asparagus Pasta Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

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This flavorful Asparagus Pasta Salad is made with shell pasta, fresh asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, and finished with a homemade lemon herb vinaigrette!

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Sometimes you clean out the fridge and magic happens.  Last week, I gave the fridge a good clean out ahead of my latest shopping trip.  Knowing I’d be buying another three week’s worth of groceries, I decided to use up some of the groceries in our fridge to make room.  I had a bunch of asparagus, baby bella mushrooms, and some homemade sun-dried tomatoes that I desperately needed to use.  So I decided to make a pasta salad.

This time of year, when it’s too hot to turn on the oven, I like to stock the fridge with a few cold salads, including pasta salad.  Pasta salads make excellent summer side dishes or a quick lunch.  Plus, they’re one of my favorite, easiest ways to use up fresh produce!

Asparagus Pasta Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

 
In my opinion, asparagus doesn’t get enough credit for its versatility.  You can steam it, saute it, throw it on top of a breakfast tart, or even turn it into fries! 

To make this pasta salad, I cut the asparagus into small pieces and sauteed it with baby bella mushrooms and garlic in a little olive oil, adding the sun-dried tomatoes at the end.  I let that cool down for a bit, then added it to cooked shell pasta (I used Banza) and some chopped red onion. So simple, but so good!


I could have easily thrown a bottle of dressing or some oil and balsamic vinegar on this salad and called it a day.  But my herbs are growing like crazy right now (you should seriously see my oregano – it’s like a bush!), so I made a quick herby, lemon vinaigrette in my Blend-N-Go blender. 

I used about half of the vinaigrette I made and saved the rest to keep adding to the pasta salad.  As the pasta salad sits, it’s going to soak up all of that good flavor from the dressing.  I always suggest adding more dressing the next day. 

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Asparagus Pasta Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

Asparagus Pasta Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette

Ingredients

    For the pasta salad:
  • 8 oz. shell pasta
  • 1/3 cup red onion, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 cups fresh asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
  • 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
    • For the vinaigrette:
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar,
  • 1 tbsp. fresh basil
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

    For the pasta salad:
  1. Cook the pasta according to package. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
  2. Once cooled, add the pasta to a large bowl with the chopped onion.
  3. Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat.
  4. Add the garlic, cooking for 1 minute, then add the asparagus and mushrooms, cooking just until softened. About 5-8 minutes.
  5. Then, stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, cooking for about 1-2 minutes.
  6. Remove skillet from heat and allow to cool. Then, add to the pasta bowl and season with salt and pepper.
    7. For the vinaigrette:
  7. In a blender, add the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, vinegar, herbs, and salt and pepper. Blend just until smooth.
  8. Add half of the dressing to the pasta salad, reserving the other half to add to the salad, as needed.
  9. Serve salad immediately, or keep in the fridge in an airtight container.
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When it’s hot and gross outside, and the last thing you want to do is cook (it was 96 the other day, so I was thrilled to have salads in the fridge), pull out a pasta salad, toss in a protein if you desire, and you’re good to go! You’ve got lunch, you’ve got dinner, and you’ve got a veggie loaded pasta salad full of fresh flavor! 

Did you make this Asparagus Pasta Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats. Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

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10 Summer Salads for Your Labor Day BBQ

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Celebrate Labor Day and the end of summer with one of these delicious and crowd pleasing summer salads including pasta salads, quinoa salads, Caprese salads, and more!


Well, that’s a wrap! Summer is unofficially O-V-E-R in a couple of weeks!  Don’t worry – I said, unofficially! You’ve still got time to hit the beach, hang by the pool, or head to the park!  But it’s also time to start planning one last summer bash before it’s back-to-school, back-to-work, and back-to-busy routines. 

If you’re getting ready to throw, or attend, a fabulous Labor Day BBQ to say good-bye to summer, I’m sure you’ve got the hot dogs and burgers covered.  So let’s talk about what to serve with them!  I’m all about a good side salad during a barbecue.  Especially when it’s quick, easy, loaded with delicious and fresh ingredients, and can feed a crowd!  If you’re looking for a new salad to make, or take, to your Labor Day BBQ, there are plenty of ideas with these 10 simple salad recipes.

I’m sharing everything from pasta salads, quinoa salads, green salads, and even a fruit salad or two for something a little sweeter. So many of these salads have been on repeat in our house.  They’re perfect for summer and Labor Day gatherings, but they go way beyond the season as great side dishes or meal prep ideas! 

10 Summer Salads for Your Labor Day BBQ

  1. So Fresh and So Green Quinoa Salad
  2. Chicken Sausage Brown Rice Pasta Salad
  3. Mixed Berry Salad with Grilled Chicken
  4. Kale Caesar Pasta Salad
  5. Caprese Style Quinoa Salad
  6. Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
  7. Grilled Peach Caprese Salad
  8. Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
  9. My Famous Italian Pasta Salad
  10. Star Spangled Fruit Salad

If you make one of these salads for your Labor Day BBQ, share pics of your recipe creation on social media using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats.  Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

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What salad has been your favorite to make this summer?

Chicken Sausage Brown Rice Pasta Salad

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This post may contain affiliate links.  Making a purchase through one of these links helps support this blog.

This gluten-free Chicken Sausage Brown Rice Pasta Salad is made with brown rice pasta and veggies. It’s a healthy salad that’s perfect for weekly meal prep!


Between our anniversary, my birthday, family parties, and everything else in between, it’s been hard to keep my healthy eating habits in check this summer.  I’ve eaten way too much ice cream – that’s for sure – and definitely started to feel it! 

I mean, I’ve made a ridiculously delicious S’mores Ice Cream Sandwich Cake a few weeks ago and had two back-to-back Mr. Softee dipped ice cream cones at my nieces’ joint birthday party (it was so worth it, at the time).  Not to mention that ice cream has been on sale nearly every week at the grocery store.  I’ve had more than enough of my fill!

So I’m restarting the Fast Metabolism Diet as a reset for my body.  But I’m doing my own version of it.  I’m still following the schedule of Monday and Tuesday being fruit and healthy carb days, Wednesday and Thursday being protein days, and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday being focused on healthy fats.  I’m just not being as strict about it. 


Since pasta salads are always a summer staple for us, I decided to make a healthier version based off a FMD pasta recipe for Chicken Sausage Fusilli.  Just like the FMD recipe, this pasta salad uses brown rice fusilli.  It’s a little stickier than traditional pasta, but it’s gluten-free and just as filling and satisfying! 

The trick in making brown rice pasta is not to overcook it or it’ll become mushy.  Draining the pasta and rinsing it with cold water stops the cooking process and gives you that perfect pasta texture!

The “bulk” of this Chicken Sausage Brown Rice Pasta Salad

 
I included the chicken sausage in my pasta salad to bulk it up and add a good dose of lean protein.  Then, I tossed in a bunch of veggies like fresh broccoli florets, roasted red peppers, zucchini, and onions.  I dressed my salad with lemon juice and Italian dressing seasoning.  Before serving, I added a little chopped parsley for some added freshness.  

Oil isn’t restricted on the FMD, but it’s mostly reserved for “healthy fats” days. So I skipped adding it to my lemon dressing. I didn’t want to saturate my pasta.  I just wanted to give it some flavoring.  You can definitely tweak the dressing, or use your favorite pasta salad dressing, if you feel it needs more.

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Chicken Sausage Brown Rice Pasta Salad

Chicken Sausage Brown Rice Pasta Salad

Ingredients

  • 6 oz. brown rice fusilli pasta
  • 3 sweet Italian chicken sausage links, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
  • 1 generous cup broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
  • 1/3 cup roasted red pepper strips, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cup zucchini, seeded and cubed
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning, or Italian dressing seasoning

Instructions

  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and prepare the brown rice fusilli according to the package. Don't overcook the pasta and rinse with cold water as soon as it's done to stop the cooking process.
  2. Add the pasta to a large bowl or container.
  3. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add about a tablespoon of water and the chicken sausage to the pan. Cook until completely and browned on the outside, about 6-8 minutes.
  4. Add the chicken sausage to the pasta bowl. Then, add in the vegetables.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and Italian seasonings.
  6. Pour over the pasta salad, mix to combine, and serve.
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When I first put this pasta salad together, I think I expected it to be a bit bland and boring. But it’s so fresh, so satisfying, and has a nice flavor to it, thanks to the chicken sausage and simple lemon dressing.  Eat it cold or leave the lemon dressing out and reheat this as a warm pasta dish.

Whether or not you’re on a special diet, you can’t deny a good pasta salad during the summer!  They’re perfect for meal prepping and taste better by the day! 

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