Rainbow Pasta Salad

Greetings again, internet friends! It’s hard to believe that June is almost over. This summer is flying by like crazy. As June winds down, it’s time to start thinking about your Fourth of July plans. I’m willing to bet that that most of you find yourselves at parties that involve some sort of outdoor cookery. We’ve talked about grilling in the past, and we have posted recipes for all sorts of grilled things. Today, we thought we would go in a different direction.

If you are hosting a party, or going to a party, you are going to want something to eat other than grilled meat. If not, that’s cool too. What we thought we would share today is a recipe for a super easy and tasty side dish. Pasta salad might be the best thing to accompany most grilled foods.

This recipe is ridiculously easy, incredibly cheap, and amazingly tasty. Also, it’s very versatile. You can alter the veggies, change the dressing, use a different kind of pasta, or whatever else you want! Anyway, here’s the breakdown.

Ingredients

1 16 oz box tri-color pasta spirals

½ red bell pepper

½ orange bell pepper

½ yellow bell pepper

½ red onion

2 Roma tomatoes

3 green onions

1 2.25 oz can of sliced black olives

4 oz sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup Italian dressing.

The Process:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once the water is at a boil you should liberally salt it.

2.) While the water is coming to a boil, chop up the peppers, onions, tomatoes, and green onions in to small pieces. Also, dice the cheese in to little cubes.

3.) After the water is boiling, cook the pasta to your desired likeness. For pasta salad, I like my pasta just a touch past al dente. After the pasta is done cooking, strain it, but do NOT rinse it. That ruins pasta.

4.) Let the noodles cool a bit. It will give you time to finish chopping your veggies. While the noodles are still warm, toss in the dressing and the peppers and onions. Toss the salad to coat everything. You can also throw in the olives, tomatoes, and green onions at this point.

5.) Wait for the pasta to be fairly cool before adding in the cheese.

That’s all there is to it! It’s really easy, and super tasty. It’s ready to eat at this point, but you could always do yourself a favor and let it sit overnight. Trust me, the flavors will only get better. We hope you all have a great Fourth of July. Be sure to be safe, and enjoy!