Pasta salad is a great addition to any barbecue or picnic. Especially refreshing in the summer, pasta salad can be served with hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwurst, fried chicken and a variety of other main dishes. It is quite simple to throw together a pasta salad and it will surely be a hit at your next cookout.
Ingredients
Heirloom tomatoes are ideal for pasta salad because they have a very flavorful taste, even uncooked. Any type of heirloom tomato will suffice. Choose tomatoes that are just ripe so they do not get mushy and overly juicy, causing the pasta salad to be watery. Select cucumbers that are dark green and firm, as these will provide a nice crunch to the salad. Buy a whole head of fresh broccoli but only use the florets in the pasta salad. Use rotini pasta that are red and green to give the salad additional color, as opposed to the traditional yellowish-colored pasta. To give the pasta salad a zesty flavor, use Italian dressing to bring the whole dish together. Put a bit of Italian seasoning in the salad as well for additional flavor. Buy mild cheddar, mozzarella, or Parmesan cheese. Optional ingredients that can be added depending on your taste preferences are black olives, green olives and onions.
Preparation
Boil three quarts of water and cook the rotini pasta just until tender. Drain and rinse in cold water. Do not overcook the pasta or it will become mushy. Cut two large tomatoes into pieces about the size of a quarter. Separate the broccoli florets from the stems, taking care to remove any of the little leaves you may find on the broccoli. You may need to cut the broccoli florets down a bit to make them bite sized. Slice an entire cucumber into ¼ inch thick slices, and then cut each slice into fours. Place all of these ingredients into a large bowl, including the olives and/or onions if you choose, and toss lightly. Put in the cheese and add ¾ bottle of Italian dressing and some Italian seasoning. Lightly mix all of the ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate for about one hour prior to serving.
Tags: pasta salad, broccoli florets, Italian dressing, Italian seasoning, olives onions, rotini pasta