Recipe(tried): Pasta Salad

A friend and coworker always brought this on days we'd be celebrating with "pot-luck" lunches in our conference room. The big plus is that she says you don't refrigerate it (there were never any leftovers so I'm not sure how long but she used to get it ready the night before and added the pasta & cheese before coming to work. It's excellent but I do wait to make it when fresh Jersey tomatoes are available.

ZITI SALAD

1 lb. Ziti, cooked (don't overcook)
4 large tomatoes, sliced in wedges (not thick ones)
3-4 green peppers, sliced lengthwise
3 to 4 leaves fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dry
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon salt
5 twists fresh pepper
8 oz. ball Mozarella Cheese, grated (sorry but the packaged shredded cheese doesn't work here)
3 or 4 smashed garlic gloves, or to taste

Marinate all but cheese and Ziti for 1-1/2 hours. Add well drained Ziti and grated mozzarella. Serve as is - do not refrigerate.

If your DH loves pasta salad, I'm sure you've seen some version of this one:

Easy Pasta Salad
2 large green peppers, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 8-oz bottle Italian dressing
1/2 bottle McCormack Salad Supreme (2.75 oz bottle)
3/4 lb. Rotini spiral pasta, cooked

Mix all ingredients while warm. Make a day ahead to allow all flavors to blend. (Note: The original recipe calls for 1 lb. of pasta but I found it's a little dry using the full pound.)

Also, if you do a search for pasta salad on the board, you'll find more than you could ever make.