ITALIAN PASTA SALAD {Recipe}

This is the salad I served at the Little Man baby shower.  My sister made it for me and she left out the broccoli and cauliflower.  You can really use any ingredients you like and leave out any you don’t care for.

Recipe: Italian Pasta Salad

From the Kitchen of: Emily Nelson

Yield: One large salad

Ingredients:

• One pound tri-color vegetable rotini pasta (or any pasta you like), cooked and drained and cooled to room temp. You can run cold water over it until it is cool
• 1 cup cauliflower florets (small)(vegetables and cheese should be cut into small pieces...about 1/3 of a bite)
• 1 cup broccoli florets (small)
• 1 cup cucumber cubes (small)
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese cubes (small)
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese cubes (small) or slices of string cheese work also
• 1/2 c. chopped green onions
• 1/2 c. red, yellow, and/or orange BABY bell pepper slices
• 1/4 pound hard salami, sliced into strips (I like the Private Selections brand from the deli at Smith’s)
• 1 can artichoke hearts (in water)
• 1/2 small can sliced black olives
• 1 cup grape tomatoes (optional)
• I bottle Bernstein’s Cheese and Garlic salad dressing (I have seen this at Albertsons and also WalMart.  If you can’t find it you can use your favorite Italian dressing but this one makes the salad extra yummy)

Directions: Combine all ingredients with ½ bottle dressing. Use the other half to put on just before serving. Don’t worry if your pasta is stuck together. It will come apart once you put the dressing on. This salad is best when chilled, so make it ahead of time.