Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Pasta Salad

My family has been making this particular pasta salad recipe for 20+ years. In fact, I can't remember a summer function that hasn't included it!!! I am NOT a fan of raw tomatoes so I leave those out every time I make it, but thought I had better be sure to list it for you tomato fans out there. I gave this recipe to my best bud, Kelly, last summer and it has now become her "staple" recipe for get-togethers. I'm not sure which one of us will get to bring it should we both have to bring a dish to the same party....hmmmmmm. I suppose we could do ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS for it??? You game, Kelly??? LOL!

1 box tri-color vegetable pasta, prepared and drained well, let it cool to room temp (TIP: don't cook the pasta all the way since it needs to sit overnight and will continue to soften as it sits.)

1 can medium black olives, drained and roughly chopped (TIP: I know you're thinking you could just buy the presliced onces, but please resist as they just don't give you the "rough" that you're looking for.)

1 small red onion, diced

1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 package cubed Cheddar cheese

1 small bottle of Wishbone Italian dressing (I have tried several different dressings over the years and this is my favorite by far!)

1 (6 oz.) package of sliced pepperoni (DON'T leave this out of the recipe...it just isn't this pasta salad without it. Also, you can chop the pepperoni in half or leave it whole like I do)

1 pint cherry tomotoes (Since I don't eat tomatoes I never worry about this part, but you can either slice them in half or throw them in whole...it's really your choice!)

Using a LARGE bowl combine all ingredients...JUST REMEMBER THAT IF THE PASTA IS NOT 100% COOLED YOU CAN RUIN THE ENTIRE DISH SO PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT IT IS COOLED!!! Typically I use the entire small bottle of dressing for this recipe. I wish I could tell you about how much it is, but it varies...basically you want everything coated well, but not too runny! Once everything is combined well pop into the refrigerator and let it sit overnight or at minimum 6 hours! This recipe feeds a crowd as a side dish and about 5-6 people as the main dish. ENJOY!!!

4 comments:

Kelly said...

Love the pasta salad! What I found works for me is to shock the noodles with cold water until cool they are cool. When I let them sit to cool, I wound up with a big mush. Not a fun moment! LOVE the recipe though!!
(Thanks for the get well wishes- I'm getting there.)

Anonymous said...

Yes, she's back. This is the Tara I've been waiting for. I've missed your receipies. Hope you are healing well and feeling better.

Heidi Pocketbook said...

Just dropped by to see how you're getting along☺

Denise said...

Sounds yummy.