One of nice things about a pasta salad is that it's cheap to make and almost everyone likes it. You will have to adjust the kinds of vegetables you decide to put into it according to your family's tastes or whomever you might be making it for. With a pasta salad, it's fun to be creative and put in all kinds of things that go together. Think 'pizza' and what you like to have on a pizza and this will give you an idea of what you might like to have in your pasta salad. Some people like to add mayonnaise to their pasta salads, but I prefer to eat it in a more pure state using a good quality olive oil for the dressing. Pasta salads are usually reserved for summer meals, but they are actually good any time of the year. I can't picture eating it for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, though, but other than that I can't see why a good pasta salad wouldn't be a welcome addition to any meal. You can add a little cooked chicken to it, put it over a bed of lettuce and it makes a great main dish, as well. Bet you didn't know that, did you? In a big pot of salted water boil a box or a bag of colorful pasta, like Rotini.
Then chop into small chunks:
While it's boiling, saute in 2 T. oil
1 C. chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
Set this aside when the onion is lightly browned.
Then chop into small chunks:
4 T. red pepper
4 T. orange pepper
4 T. red pepper
Optional:
1/2 C. fresh sliced mushrooms
1/2 C. grape tomatoes
1/2 C. small broccoli florettes
Put these all together in a large bowl, then add:
1 can of ripe olives, sliced and chopped.
When the pasta has cooked enough to be tender, drain it in a large colander and allow it to cool.
Then put it into the bowl and stir all of the vegetables into it.
Then add:
1 C. grated Parmesan cheese
To this add:
1/2 C. Olive oil
4 T. Balsamic vinegar
1 T. water
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. seasoning salt
1 t. sugar
Mix well and pour over the pasta.
Or, just add a small bottle of your favorite vinegar and oil salad dressing such as Newman's Own. Enjoy!
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