N/A
20 mins
BackgroundMichael and I spent the weekend at Lake Hartwell celebrating our friend Melissa’s birthday. I don’t think I’ve ever swam in a lake for an extended period of time until this weekend and I must say that it agreed with me and we’ll definitely add that to our list of go-to weekend trips.
I’ve been travelling with this group of people for years now and we have meals/snacks/drinks pretty much down to a science. Our strategy falls into two basic categories:
- Family trips to the grocery store and split the total at the end (for longer trips)
- Everyone is responsible for one meal (for shorter trips)
One of my closest friends, Lisa, was in charge of lunch on Saturday and she did sandwiches and this amazing (and simple) pasta salad. It was so amazing, that we made it for dinner on Sunday night when we got home and now I’m sharing it with you!
Recipe
- 12 oz Box of Tri-Colored Rotini (Spiral) Pasta
- 1 Cup Diced Sweet Onions
- 1 Cup Green Bell Pepper
- ½ Cup Quartered Grape Tomatoes
- ½ Cup Matchstick (Shredded) Carrots
- ½ Cup Parmesan Cheese (Shredded)
- ¾ Cup Zesty Italian Dressing
- Cook pasta in boiling salted water to al dente (about 6 to 8 minutes) and drain. Be careful not to over cook the pasta – it should still have some texture to it.
- While the pasta is cooking, chop up your vegetables and place in a big bowl.
- When pasta is done cooking, drain and add to the bowl of veggies, toss to combine.
- Add cheese to the bowl and toss again.
- Add Italian Dressing and toss one more time.
- Can be eaten immediately or refrigerated overnight and served cold.
Tips and TricksThis pasta salad is great for quick-and-easy dinners, picnics and potlucks!
Feed the FreezerI haven’t tried freezing this but it should freeze well enough as pasta does great in the freezer. Put any leftovers in air-tight containers and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and enjoy cold.
Fun Facts- There are more than 600 pasta shapes produced worldwide.
- October is National Pasta Month.
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