'No Frills' Pasta Salad

It's officially 96 degrees in my neck of the woods today and I would have to be completely nuts to fire up the oven. So, it's time to fall back on an old hot weather favorite - a regular old pasta salad. There's nothing fancy about this recipe. It's straightforward in that it's loaded full of vegetables and pasta with a reduced fat Italian vinaigrette dressing. Feel free to add (or subtract) any vegetables you wish and use any spiral-shaped pasta; whole wheat pasta may certainly be substituted if your family likes it.

'No Frills' Pasta Salad

1 lb. gemelli (or any spiral noodle)

1 large red bell pepper, in small dice

1 medium onion, finely chopped

½ a hothouse cucumber, quartered and sliced thinly

¼ - ½ a small head cauliflower, in small dice

½ a small bag baby carrots, in small dice

1 large bottle of reduced fat Italian vinaigrette dressing

Cubed chicken, ham or turkey (optional)

Cubed Cheddar cheese (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large pot, cook the noodles in plenty of boiling water (do not salt the water) until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, prep the vegetables and meat (if using). When the noodles are done, drain them into a colander and rinse for 5 - 10 minutes under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool the noodles thoroughly. 

In a large bowl, add the pasta, the vegetables and the meat (if using). Toss gently to mix everything up, then add about half the bottle of dressing to start. Inevitably, you will need to add more dressing, but adding half is a good starting point. Mix everything thoroughly to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator. About an hour before you serve it, mix it up again and check for dryness and add more dressing, if need be. 

If you will be using cheese, this would be an appropriate time to cut it into small cubes. If you add the cheese directly to the bowl and let it sit, it will get very slimy and will not be appealing. Serve the cheese cubes in a small bowl and let everyone help themselves.

Serve along with small pieces of toasted bread or dinner rolls. A light, but not fruity, white wine would be a good accompaniment but if you're looking to avoid serving alcohol, a good unsweetened ice tea is an appropriate substitute.

Serves 6 - 8