With the 4th of July coming up this week I wanted to help you out with yet another picnic recipe. This simple recipe was always in my mother’s arsenal and quite frankly it is one of my favorites. I’ll make it some weeks and eat it for lunch everyday – it’s that good. Not only is it good – it is easy! And quick!
One of the things I loathe about most pasta salad recipes is olives. I HATE olives. And for some reason they’re in so many pasta salads it is ridiculous. STOP PUTTING OLIVES IN YOUR PASTA SALAD! Unless you like them that much, of course. If you have a church potluck you can guarantee there are 8 different pasta salads and 6 of them have nasty, salty, grossly textured olives. And you know who eats them?
Old men.
Old men that have lost all sense of smell and taste.
You don’t see kids wolfing down Grandma Barb’s olive laden pasta salad, do you? Nope. They’re flipping out and throwing crap around because they’re all hopped up on soda and desserts.
Enter this pasta salad. Promise you … it will be gone.
And the all hopped up on sugar psycho children will eat it too.
And the old men. But like we talked about a few sentences ago … they’re not a good judge of taste.
Collect your ingredients!
-12 oz package of your choice of noodles (I used Rozoni veggie combo noodles for more color and a little healthy boost!)
– 1 block of mozzarella, cubed
– 1/2 pound cubed ham (purchased in the ham section OR you can buy it from the deli and cube it yourself)
– pepperoni (you can add as many or as few as you want. I add about 1/2 a package sliced in quarters)’
– 1 package cherry tomatoes; cut in half
– half a small onion; minced
– bottle of Italian dressing of choice (I recommend Tuscan House Italian by Kraft!)
Ready for these SUPER hard directions?!
While your noodles are boiling dice and cut up all of your ingredients. Once the noodles are done run them under some cold water to stop the cooking and cool them a little. Dump the noodles and ingredients in a large bowl and stir. Then add about 3/4 of the bottle of Italian dressing and stir.
I know. So many steps. It’s just too much.
I’ll give you a minute …
Keep this pasta salad chilled, and take it to your 4th of July picnic. If you prepare this the night before add the remaining 1/4 bottle of Italian dressing and stir. The noodles tend to absorb some of the dressing as it sits.
The hopped up on sugar kiddos are counting on you.
Have an awesome week!
-Kelsea
Perfect Pasta Salad
12 oz box pasta (penne, rotini, bowties, etc.); cooked and drained
1 block mozzarella; cubed
1/2 pound ham; cubed
1/2 small onion; minced
pepperoni (desired amount); quartered
1 pkg cherry tomatoes; cut in half
1 bottle Tuscan House Italian Dressing by Kraft
1) Cook pasta and run under cold water.
2) Mix pasta with prepared ingredients (diced, cubed, minced – etc.) and pour 3/4 bottle of dressing over ingredients. Stir thoroughly and chill until serving.
3) Save remaining dressing to add should the noodles absorb too much and the salad becomes dry.