Thursday, April 30, 2009

Pretty Pasta

Over the weekend, the temperatures reached into the low 90s. I hate when that happens in April because it normally means that New England will segue right from winter to mid summer. I hope not...

One good thing the hot weather ushered in was sun tea and pasta salad season. I made my first gallon of sun tea on Sunday afternoon and then to go with the salmon I had marinating for the grill, I decided to make a quick pasta salad that is a family favorite.

The salad couldn't be easier to make. You need five ingredients, pasta, a package of Good Seasonings Italian dressing, sugar, vegetable oil and white vinegar. You can add green, red, orange, yellow pepper, black olives, pepperoni, chicken, tomatoes, onions, cheese, or just about anything else you want to the base.

I like to use tri-color pasta for this salad because it looks so pretty,
Pretty Pasta
even in the colander.

The perfect side for anything you throw on the grill during the summer or for a stand alone lunch with a glass of sun tea with lemon.


Basic Pasta Salad

1 16oz box of pasta of your choice
1 package Good Seasonings Salad Dressing Mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta to al dente,drain and rinse with cold water. In large plastic container with lid, combine remaining ingredients. Add in pasta and stir until pasta is completely combined with the other ingredients. Put in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.

Optional Adds: green, red, orange, yellow pepper, sliced black olives, pepperoni, chicken, tomatoes, onions, cheese