Recipe: Pasta Salad (12)

Here's a few for some ideas.

Have fun,

Joe

THREE COLOR PASTA SALAD
1 lg. pkg. three color pasta
4 chicken breasts
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 avocados, chopped
1 1/2 c. Mozzarella cheese, chopped
2 tomatoes or red peppers, chopped
Diet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
1 c. toasted, slivered almonds
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Chopped black olives
Brown chicken in olive oil and chop. Boil pasta according to directions and cool. Toss the remaining ingredients with Ranch dressing and add the pasta and chicken. Serve. VARIATIONS: Add ham, shrimp, chives or no meat at all.

GARDEN MACARONI SALAD
16 oz. 3-color pasta twists
1 c. shredded carrots
1 c. broccoli florets
1 c. chickpeas
1 c. black olives, sliced
1 c. red pepper, chopped
1 c. green pepper, chopped
1 c. tomatoes, chopped
1 c. (8 oz.) low cal. Italian dressing
1/2 c. mayonnaise
Cook macaroni, drain and rinse with cold water. Marinate it with low calorie Italian dressing. Mix well. Add chopped vegetables and mayonnaise and toss until well mixed. Chill before serving.

RANCH TURKEY VEGETABLE SALAD
1 lb. corkscrew pasta, cooked & drained
1 c. turkey, cut into strips
4 to 5 c. assorted cooked or raw vegetables
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 c. prepared Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
Toss all ingredients in a bowl. Chill until ready to serve.

PASTA SALAD
8 oz. tri-colored pasta
1/4 c. olive oil
1/3 c. vinegar
Pinch of thyme
Pinch of oregano
Pinch of basil
8 oz. Colby cheese, chunked
Pitted black olives, sliced
Fresh spinach, chopped
Pepperoni, chopped
Fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 med. Red pepper, sliced
1 clove garlic, pressed
8 oz. bottle "Herbs and Spices"
Italian dressing
Cook pasta and drain. Toss with olive oil and vinegar. Add garlic and spices to the dressing and shake. Pour over pasta and mix thoroughly. Let stand 30 minutes. Meanwhile, chop pepperoni, mushrooms and red pepper. Add to pasta and refrigerate for several hours. About every hour toss. Add spinach 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving. Toss. Serves 6.

ZESTY PASTA SALAD
1/2 c. Miracle Whip
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. milk
1 1/2 c. cubed ham
1 c. corkscrew pasta
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 c. green pepper chunks
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt
Lettuce
Combine Miracle Whip, Parmesan cheese and milk. Mix well. Add all remaining ingredients except lettuce leaves.

VEGETABLE - PASTA SALAD
1 lb. med.-size pasta shells
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 c. broccoli flowerets
3 c. cauliflowerets
2 lg. carrots, chopped
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. dairy sour cream
2 tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
About 1/4 c. milk
Salt & freshly ground pepper (try celery salt instead of regular salt)
Hot pepper sauce
Colorful as well as tasty, this easy salad will become one of your favorite summer recipes. It can be prepared the day before your picnic. Cook pasta according to package directions until tender but firm to the bite. Drain and rinse with cold water, then drain again. In a medium-size bowl, combine pasta, bell pepper, broccoli, cauliflowerets, carrot and onion. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard and milk. Add dressing to salad and toss to coat. Season with salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Keep chilled until served. Makes 6 to 8 servings. VARIATION: For a main-dish salad, add 1 cup chopped ham and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.

PASTA SALAD
1 box lg. red cross vegetable pasta (spiral noodles, colored)
2 bottles Zesty Italian dressing (you can use fat free)
1/2 bottle seasoning salad supreme, McCormick's
2 cucumbers
1 bunch of green onions, use all of it
1 green pepper
3 carrots, round chop
2 stalks of celery
1 sm. can mario sliced black olives, drained
6 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
Cherry red tomatoes (optional)
Stir dressing and seasoning in a bowl while pasta is cooking. Chop: Mix noodles, dressing and seasoning and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. This makes a lot of salad. You may want to cut recipe in half. Very good!

PASTA SALAD
2 boxes (8 c. water) colored pasta (any shape)
1 pkg. sm. pepperoni (sliced in half, optional)
1 bunch broccoli, cut stems
1 lg. bottle oily Italian dressing
2 to 3 c. mayonnaise
Garlic to taste (optional)
Boil water; cook pasta until done; drain. Chill in the refrigerator until cold or ready to prepare. Blend mayonnaise, garlic and Italian dressing together; blend well; set aside. Add broccoli and pepperoni and then mayonnaise mixture. Mix well. If too dry, add more Italian dressing. Serves 50 people.

MULTI-COLORED PASTA SALAD
1 lb. cooked tri-colored pasta
4 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
Green pepper, seeded & chopped
Red (sweet) pepper, seeded & chopped
Yellow pepper, seeded & chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 sm. zucchini or summer squash, chopped
1 jar green olives, drained
1 sm. can black olives (optional)1 c. oil
1/8 c. lemon juice
1/8 c. vinegar (tarragon)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. parsley
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Mix all ingredients above in large bowl. Prepare DRESSING: Mix dressing ingredients, toss with pasta and vegetables. Chill.

CUCUMBER 'N DILL PASTA SALAD
--SALAD:--
6 oz. (2 c.) uncooked dried corkscrew or twist pasta
2 c. (2 med.) sliced 1/8" cucumber, cut in half
1 c. cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 c. (1 med.) coarsely chopped onion
--DRESSING:--
8 oz. (1 c.) carton Land O Lakes light sour cream
1/2 c. skim milk
1 tbsp. chopped fresh dill weed*
1/2 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. vinegar
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water. In large bowl combine pasta with all remaining salad ingredients. In medium bowl, stir together all dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over salad; toss to coat. Cover; refrigerate at least 1 hour. Yield: 6 servings. * 1 teaspoon dried dill weed can be substituted for 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill weed.

ROTINI VEGETABLE SALAD
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen mixed vegetables, cook and drain
2 c. Rotini pasta, cook and drain
1 can kidney beans, drained
1/2 c. chopped onions
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1/2 c. chopped celery
--DRESSING:--
1 c. sugar
3 tsp. flour
1 1/2 tsp. margarine
3 tsp. prepared yellow mustard
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. white vinegar
Cook dressing until clear. Cool, add to above salad ingredients.

BECKY'S SALAD
1 pt. or 2 c. mayonnaise, low cal Hellmann's
1 c. vinegar
1 c. Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 lb. pasta, multi colored spiral (1 box)
2 green peppers, diced
3 carrots, shredded
1 onion, diced
Mix first 4 ingredients together; boil. Drain and mix pasta. Add to above 4 ingredients then add veggies. Huge batch. Make 24-48 hours ahead and refrigerate.