Summertime Cold Pasta Recipe

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Summertime Cold Pasta Recipe

rotini, tri-colored pasta, easy pasta recipe

This cold pasta recipe is perfect for summer, and easily transports to your backyard barbecue or campground! It's one of those easy salad recipes that makes cooking fun, and it turns out tasty every time.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 lb tri-colored rotini pasta

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1 medium stalk & floret of broccoli, washed and chopped

1 small can black pitted olives, rinsed

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced

1 small can chickpeas, rinsed

1 medium sized cucumber, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup fresh mozzarella (balls or cubed)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup of your favorite Italian dressing or 1 pasta salad dressing recipe

First cook your pasta according to the directions on the box. I like using the tri-colored rotini because it adds another dimension of color to this pasta with vegetables medley. Of course you can use pretty much any kind of short pasta that you like, and farfalle are also another option that I've used in the past.

While the pasta is cooking you can wash and prepare all of your veggies. If there is something in this recipe that you don't like, substitute it for something you do like and make it your own!

When the pasta is cooked, strain and rinse it. Pour it into a large bowl with your vegetables, cheese and dressing and toss gently. At this point I would chill the pasta salad for at least an hour before serving, but it will hold up nicely for up to two days.

You can easily prepare this cold pasta recipe ahead of time and pack it up for a picnic or camping trip or even surprise your friends at the next potluck with this tasty and refreshing treat!

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