Picnic Pasta Salad
3June 16, 2006 by Amanda
This is a great, simple pasta salad to take on picnics or to summer potlucks.
- 1 box tricolor rotini
- 1 small head of crisp lettuce, cut into bite-sized pieces
- handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups of ham cubes
- sliced black olives (optional)
- soy/rice "mozzarella" cubes (or the real thing if you can eat it)(optional)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup of balsamic vinegarette dressing
1.) Cook the pasta until it is al dente. Toss with the olive oil and let it come to room temperature.
2.) Gently toss the rotini with the lettuce, tomatoes, ham, and if using, the olives and mozzarella, until everything is well mixed.
3.) If you are serving it right away, pour in the dressing and toss to coat everything. If you are transporting the salad to a picnic or potluck, carry the dressing in a seperate container and add it when ready to serve (otherwise the salad will become soggy).
It's simple, quick and delicious– we can (and do) eat this probably twice a week in the summer. If you'd like, use Italian dressing instead of the balsamic, or add other fresh veggies as they are available from the garden or farmer's market. Enjoy!
great recipe, did you make this up on your own. Try cubing grilled chicken and ranch dressing for a switch. Still easy and delicious! And a great cool summer dinner.
[...] picnic at the park by the beach. I made beef pies (recipe coming soon – they’re so good), pasta salad, and French potato salad, and brought along dill pickles and San Pelligrino. It was a bit chill, [...]
[...] that simple, takes thirty seconds to whip up and tastes great on Pasta Salad. You’ll never need to rely on store bought dressing [...]