Monday, July 20, 2009

Cheree's Pasta Salad

I made this pasta salad up since most boxed pasta salads have some trace of egg or milk. Not only do they not work for my son because of his allergies, but they're usually severely overpriced. You can't really mess this pasta salad up. Feel free to add the vegetables you enjoy the most. However, I'd at least stick with the tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives. Whenever I make this at our house it's gone pretty fast!

NOTE FOR EGG ALLERGIES: If you're looking for egg-free pasta, I usually purchase mine at Costco.

INGREDIENTS:
1 packet Good Season's Italian Dressing, prepared (I use olive oil and red wine vinegar)
1 lb cooked pasta (your favorite kind, I've used rotini and radiatori) drained (you can rinse it or not, I've done it both ways and it doesn't really matter)
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch radishes, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1 can sliced olives, drained
1 large cucumber, deseeded and chopped
1/2 bag matchstick carrots
1/2 cup-1 cup chopped broccoli (optional)
1 can artichokes, chopped (optional)
parmesan cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
  1. Mix cooked pasta with prepared Good Season's Italian Dressing
  2. Cover and let sit overnight
  3. Add vegetables
  4. Top with Parmesan cheese
NOTE: If you're looking to make this into a lunch, add some cooked chicken or kidney beans.