I’ve always liked to make a bunch of pasta salads on a Friday so we can graze over the weekend and focus on doing fun stuff vs. cooking, especially in the summer 🙂 Here’s a few of my go-to recipes.
Southwest Pasta Salad
This is a dump-and-go recipe that is best the next day. This is also a good recipe to take to a potluck when it’s hot out – no mayo to get yucky!
- 1 box pasta, cooked (typically, I use bowties but any shape works here)
- 1 can black beans, rinsed
- 1 can corn, rinsed – or frozen
- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes, typically cherry or grape tomatoes
- zest from a lime or two
Dressing:
- 6 TB lime juice, fresh or bottled
- 1/4 white vinegar
- 3 tsp garlic cloves, minced (I just use from the jar)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3/4 cup veg oil
- 1 squeeze tube cilantro
Mix everything together and let sit a few hours, preferably overnight.
Potato Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad (A.K.A. PBR)
I don’t even have a recipe for this any more, but here goes.
- 1/2 box pasta shells, medium
- about 6 red potatoes, diced and boiled til done but still firm (the goal here is to have an equal amount of potatoes and pasta)
- 1 lb bacon, diced and cooked until crispy (it gets a tiny bit soggy in the salad so err on the side of well done to compensate)
- shredded cheddar or cojack cheese (I eyeball this)
- finely diced celery (I usually skip because you guys don’t like celery)
- mayo
- Ranch dressing
Sprinkle cooked potatoes with Lawrey’s salt (potatoes love salt). Mix everything well with equal amounts of mayo and Ranch. Chill for several hours, preferably overnight.
‘Daddy’ Pasta Salad
You guys gave this its name when you were little and it stuck …
- 1 box tri-colored rotini pasta
- 2 diced carrots
- diced cauliflower, about the same amount as the carrots
- shredded cheddar or cojack cheese
- equal parts Ranch dressing, mayo, and Italian dressing
Mix all and chill.
Note: I typically use a box of Suddenly Pasta Salad – Classic and discard the seasoning pack. Obviously, you can just buy tri-colored rotini instead.
Broccoli Salad
While not technically a pasta salad, I make this a ton too.
- 2 big heads of broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 cup (or more) dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup (or more) sunflower seeds, roasted and salted
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup Sunbutter (original recipe called for tahini, but the Sunbutter is so much better!)
- 2 1/2 TB red wine vinegar
- 2 1/2 TB maple syrup (the good stuff)
- salt and pepper
Mix dressing with a whisk and taste. Sometimes I add more maple syrup … you want it tangy. but not overly sour. Pour dressing over salad ingredients and stir to combine.
Savannah’s Chick Pea Salad
Savannah found this recipe and tweaked it a bit. It’s really good, especially after it has sat in the fridge overnight.
- 1 can of chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed well in cold water
- 1 large cucumber, peeled, cut in half, insides removed, diced small
- 2 TB red onion, diced very small
- 6 mini tomatoes, diced small
- 1 TB olive oil
- 2 TB lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- sprinkle of salt & pepper
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)
- a handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped, if you have it (optional)
Put all in a container with a lid and shake. Put in fridge for at least an hour or two; overnight is better.