Today’s recipe is a nice simple one – just 5 ingredients, with minimal prep. Just how I like it. ;) You can make a fun seasonal pasta salad just by finding shaped pasta to suit your occasion.
We found this fun pasta when we were vacationing just before Christmas, and couldn’t resist picking it up. I noticed it in the cupboard this weekend, and knew I wanted to make it into a yummy pasta salad.
All you have to do is boil it up and add a few more ingredients for a super simple salad! The best part is, you can customize pasta salads to make everyone in your family happy by adding more or less vegetables, changing the dressing, or skipping the meat. Let me share my family’s favorite combination!
5-Ingredient Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- One 1-lb. package of pasta
- One 16 oz. bottle of your favorite Italian dressing (we use a light Italian)
- 16 oz. ham or salami, diced or julienned
- 1 c. shredded cheese (we use mozzarella)
- 1 c. quartered grape tomatoes
Instructions
- Boil your pasta according to the package directions, then drain & cool it. If I'm in a hurry, I often rinse it in cold water.
- Dice your meat (or be lazy like me and buy the package of strips).
- Quarter your tomatoes. You can certainly add more if you love tomatoes.
- Stir your ingredients together. If you are serving it right away, you will probably only want to use about ¾ of your bottle of dressing. If you are refrigerating it for a few hours or overnight to be served later, the pasta will absorb the dressing and you will need to add the rest.
As you can see – it’s a very simple recipe that makes up a quick meal in itself with the meat, vegetables, and cheese all included. It stores wonderfully so it’s great for preparing ahead of time when you’re expecting guests or need to bring a dish to pass!
Fun, cute and simple! My kind of cooking. Thanks for sharing!
Yummy.. I am so going to try this salad on weekend! :) Thanks for linking up at Friday Fun party.
p.s: I love your blog’s new look Adrianne.
This looks so yummy every time I see it! :D
I’m actually boiling bow tie pasta for this right now. My daughter leaves for basic training Monday and we’re having a party tomorrow. I use tiny pepperoni and add some English cucumber.
Cute and yummy!! Great idea for an easy dinner or luch.:)
This looks almost too good to eat! :) So pretty! And I love easy in the kitchen!
THIS LOOKS AWESOME! :)
From Creative Bloggers…what a CUTE idea!
That looks so good! Shaped noodles make everything taste better, too, don’t they? :)
ahumblebumble.blogspot.com
Yum!! Thanks for sharing this would be a great recipe for this weekend!