Skip to main content

My Go-To Pasta Salad Recipe



I'm a fan of pasta salad. It's great to make early in the week and have ready to go for lunches all week, it's the perfect side for a BBQ or potluck, and it's easy, fresh and healthy. This is my go-to recipe for pasta salad. I make several variations but this is the basic one, and we love it.

Ingredients |
1 box tricolored rotini
1 bottle Greek Vinaigrette or Zesty Italian
1/2 Feta cheese
1/2 diced cucumber
1 can sliced olives
1 can black beans
1 small container of halfed cherry tomatoes
1 sliced and halved smoked sausage link
(Other things to be added or substituted: kidney or garbanzo beans, green olives, red onion, cubed cheddar cheese, etc.)

Cook the pasta, strain and let cool. Mix all ingredients together and add about 1/3 of the bottle of dressing. Refrigerate for at least two hours to cool and let the ingredients soak up the flavor. Give it a toss and add a little more dressing if needed.

Enjoy!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

30 Gluten-Free Crock Pot Meals that Won't Break the Bank

In honor of my dad, this round of crock potting is gluten-free. Over the summer my dad was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and when I found out, I cringed for him. My dad, like me, loves food - all kinds of food but especially pastas, pizzas, bread. How on earth could we take out so many delicious foods that fall under the category of "gluten" and still be satisfied? Apparently it's not as hard as I thought. These recipes are REALLY good, completely satisfying, super easy, and very affordable. I did 30 meals for $168 (this includes a strainer I needed plus disposable trays for the two freezer meals). Keep in mind these recipes are NOT Paleo or AIP. They are simply GLUTEN FREE. That also doesn't mean fat-free or calorie-free. Sorry, folks! ;) You also won't find any cream of whatchamacallit or seasoning packets. Not because I'm completely opposed to them (though I do know they are highly processed and not good for us), but because most, if not all of them...

Two Months Gone By...

11 lbs. 13 oz., 22 inches! The Family Comedian! As I sip on my afternoon coffee, listen to Christmas music, and start decorating for the season, I can't help but feel like I'm living in a dream. Both my babies are sound asleep and the rain is softly tapping on the windows. Now if only if I got a shower and my makeup done, this would be a scene straight from an ABC Family Christmas movie. :) But really, who cares? I know Isaiah and Maci don't. Isaiah just wants me to play and kiss his boo-boo's all better and Maci just wants to nurse and cuddle. I still can't believe they're both mine. So sweet, so innocent...so mischievous, at times. I love all the moments, all the moods, all the messes...all of it. Maybe not all the time but once I get a chance to reflect on the chaos that has become my life, I can't help but feel overjoyed. There's a sense of calmness in my heart and my home that I've never felt...even when Isaiah colors on the floor and Maci ...

Am I pregnant or stupid?

I've read stories about people getting the "pregnant stupids" and while I think they're hysterical, I think I've got them...bad. All the time. Every day. My guess is that because I lucked out with morning sickness (or lack of), God decided to turn me into an idiot. Case in point. Thursday afternoon, I drove all the way home from work (about 20 minutes) only to realize I forgot my work keys, which I needed to open the office the next morning. So I had to rush back to work before my co-worker left at 5 p.m. to grab them. She looked at me like I was crazy. I told her I was. Then when I got home, Darren and I were going to meet my aunt and uncle and cousins downtown for dinner. So we rushed off to dinner and as soon as we hit the busy grid of downtown, I realized, I FORGOT MY PHONE. This would be OK any other day except for the fact that 1) I was the only one that had any of their phone numbers and 2) We didn't even designate a spot to meet - we were just going to...