Friday, June 29, 2007

Pasta Salad

This recipe is rather healthy and you can cut down on the pasta or use whole wheat pasta to cut out some of the carbs. It's great for summer and easy to double for picnics!

All of the ingredients are optional, so if there is something you don't like, leave it out or substitute with something you do.

PASTA SALAD
1 Box Twist Macaroni
3 or 4 Green Onions
1 Large Green Pepper
1 Bunch Fresh Broccoli
Cauliflower
1 to 2 Tomatoes
1 Bottle Kraft Free Zesty Italian Dressing
1 Dash Garlic Salt

Cook, drain and cool macaroni. Dice green onions, green pepper, broccoli, cauliflower and tomatoes. Toss pasta and vegetables together; add dressing and garlic salt. Toss all together and refrigerate.


TIPS
~This tastes best when it's refrigerated overnight before serving, but you can serve it right away, too.
~The Kraft Free Zesty Italian is my favorite to use every time I make this since it has a much lower oil content than regular Italian Dressing. The garlic salt helps to boost the flavor a little bit.
~Also good with cubed cheeses, pepperoni and black olives for a variation.

3 comments:

Rebekah said...

sounds good. I need a good summer picnic salad. Hey, since Im here I'll ask you. Do you know of any summer friendly potato salad recipes? Ya know, without mayo?

Heather said...

I don’t really have a potato salad recipe at all. I don’t like potato salad, so I never make it. My Mom and Grandma and MIL make it, but they all use Miracle whip rather than mayo. Miracle whip can actually sit out longer than mayo since it is not made with eggs. I’ve even heard of people that don’t refrigerate their Miracle Whip after opening it. I don’t recommend it, but I guess if you use it up fast enough, it’s okay to do.
To help potato salad last a little longer, use a ceramic crock (such as a bean pot or the crock from your crock pot) and put it in the refrigerator (some are also freezer safe- check the bottom). Use that to serve your potato salad in and it will retain the cold at least 30 minutes longer than a bowl would.

Rebekah said...

thanks for the crock pot idea.