Potluck Pasta Salad

Use whatever type of pasta you have on hand for this crowd-pleasing salad recipe. Also feel free to experiment with different vegetables depending on what is in season.

Ingredients

    3 cups dried wagon wheel macaroni, rotini or other desired pasta (8 ounces)
    2 cups yellow summer squash or zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced (1 medium)
    1 cup frozen peas, thawed; shelled fresh peas, cooked and cooled (page 000); or frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
    1 medium red sweet pepper, cut into strips (about 1/2 cup)
    8 ounces smoked cheddar cheese or cheddar cheese, cubed (2 cups)
    1 6 ounce can pitted ripe olives, drained and coarsely chopped
    1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
    1/2 cup chopped red onion (1 medium)
    2 tablespoons snipped fresh oregano or basil or 2 teaspoons dried oregano or basil, crushed
    1 cup bottled balsamic vinaigrette or red wine vinaigrette salad dressing
 

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again.
2. In a large bowl combine pasta, squash, peas, sweet pepper, cheese, olives, tomatoes, onion, and oregano. Add dressing to pasta mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours. Makes 16 side-dish servings.

nutrition information

Per Serving: 

cal. (kcal) 182, 

Fat, total (g) 11, 

chol. (mg) 15, 

sat. fat (g) 4, 

carb. (g) 16, 

Monounsaturated fat (g) 2, 

Polyunsaturated fat (g) 0, 

fiber (g) 2, 

sugar (g) 2, 

pro. (g) 6, 

vit. A (RE) 0,

 vit. A (IU) 728.85, 

vit. C (mg) 18.3, 

Thiamin (mg) 0.12, 

Riboflavin (mg) 0.12, 

Niacin (mg) 0.79, 

Pyridoxine (Vit. B6) (mg) 0.06, 

Folate (µg) 32.26, 

Cobalamin (Vit. B12) (µg) 0.12,

 sodium (mg) 368, 

Potassium (mg) 93, 

calcium (mg) 121.16, 

iron (mg) 1.08, 

Vegetables () 0.5, 

Starch () 1, 

High-Fat Meat () 0.5, 

Fat () 1, 

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
 

tags: Dinner, Healthy Cooking, Low Calorie, Low Calorie Dinners, Pasta, Pasta Salad, Salad, Seasonal, Summer, Summer Vegetables, Vegetarian, Vegetarian Main Dishes, Vegetarian Pasta, Vegetarian Pasta, Potluck Pasta Salad, Pasta Salad, Ingredients, Use whatever type of pasta you have on hand for this crowd-pleasing salad recipe. Also feel free to experiment with different vegetables depending on what is in season.