Easy Rotini Pasta Salad
I am a creative person and one of the ways that I use my creativity is by cooking. Cooking is my oil. Cooking is my pastel. Cooking is my clay.
Not literally, of course. That would be gross.
It's Summer now (or threatening to be so in the North West famous month of Juneuary). That means slaving over a hot stove in a hot kitchen is not a desirable idea. This is where salads come in handy, and, when a salad can easily be a main course for a meal, then that is an even better level of handiness.
Like most cooks, I don't use specific measurements for my salad. It's really just by taste and texture that i judge it's completeness. however, with this recipe, when specific brands are mentioned, they are not optional. The brands have a very specific taste and the salad would taste different if different brands were used.
This salad is a conglomeration of my step mom's pasta salad ans my own imagination. I hope you find it useful and easy and tasty. so, here it is.
What's in the Darn Salad?
Rainbow Rotini Pasta (I use either the whole box, or, even better, a pound of the fresh bulk pasta)
Two Broccoli crowns- as little stem as possible
Colby Jack Cheese- 1/2 pound, from the deli, then cubed
Cardini's Balsalmic Vinagrette Salad Dressing
1 Claussen Kosher Dill Pickle- cubed
1 can medium pitted black olives
grape tomatoes (roughly 40)
black pepper (to taste)
Now to Make it
1. Boil water (this may seem obvious, but there are many who fail even at this simple task).
2. Once the water is boiling, pour in all the noodles and a little bit of the salad dressing. Cook the noodles al dente (about 4-5 minutes), drain and then refrigerate until chilled (about 25 minutes)
3. While chilling the noodles, chop the broccoli. It should look like little trees. Cube the cheese into bite sized pieces, chop the pickle into 10-20 bite sized pieces (you can use two if the pickle is small. That's what she said)
4. After the noodles are chilled, pour them into a bowl and combine all the ingredients except for the dressing and pepper. Mix.
5. Pour all these ingredients into a Ziploc plastic bag. Dump in 1/3- 1/2 bottle of the dressing (to taste) and a pepper (to taste)
6. Seal bag (very important).
7. Flip, toss, shake, the bag. This is fun. Make sure ingredients are evenly distributed and dressing is evenly coated over them.
8. Open bag.
9. Pour contents of bag into the same bowl you poured them out of (unless you want to do extra dishes, then use a new bowl).
10. Take plates out of cupboard (or out of the dishwasher, if you're lazy like me)
11. serve generous portion on the plate.
12. Serve with Jalapeno poppers (trust me) and Blue Moon White Belgian Beer (no trust needed here).
13. Top with Parmesan cheese (optional)
14. Serve with pickle on the side.
15. don't forget to refrigerate salad after serving.
16. He (or she) who cooks does not clean up. it's only fair
Enjoy!
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