PASTA SALAD
Here is a great make-ahead dinner salad. Feel free to add other vegetables, another
kind of pasta, or to substitute your favorite bottled or homemade dressing to
your liking. This is great for those
nights when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen. Enjoy!
Ingredients: Serves 8
2-3 cups chopped cooked chicken*
*I buy boneless, skinless
chicken breasts and bake them with a bit of olive oil at 375 degrees the night
before and then cool, chop and refrigerate until assembly time.
2-3 cups cheese tortellini
(I mixed reg and spinach tortellini that I found at my grocery store). Cook pasta, pour into ice water to stop cooking and then thoroughly
drain.
2 cups halved or quartered
(depending on size) cherry tomatoes
1 cup red bell pepper ,
chopped
1 cup zucchini, diced
¼ cup sweet onion ,
slivered
1-2 cups baby spinach,
roughly chopped
¼ to 1/3 cup roughly
chopped green, black and kalamata olives
2 cups crumbled feta (more
if you like)
1/3 cup chopped fresh
parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh
basil
Dressing:
½ cup mayo (I use the
olive oil variety)
Juice of one lemon
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup white balsamic
vinegar
Salt/Pepper to taste
Instructions: Assemble at
least 2 hours ahead
*In a large bowl, combine
the pasta salad ingredients
*In a separate bowl, whisk
the dressing ingredients together.
*Taste and add more oil,
vinegar or seasonings if desired
*Pour dressing over pasta
salad and gently but thoroughly mix.
*Refrigerate until ready
to use.
