Rainbow Pasta Salad
I made this yesterday so I'd have something to bring with me for lunches at work this week. This works well as an entree as well as a side dish and is great for picnics or parties. Feel free to play around with the vegetables as well as the quantities!
1 box whole-wheat rotini pasta, such as Barilla PLUS (about 14 oz)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup green pepper, diced
1/3 cup sweet red pepper, diced
1/3 cup yellow or orange pepper, diced
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced (I used baby portobellos)
2-3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of your favorite low-fat or fat-free Italian dressing (I used Kraft Light Done Right House Italian)
Cook pasta according to package instructions, rinse, drain, and let cool. While pasta is cooling, chop vegetables.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring well to coat. Cover, refrigerate, and chill for at least one hour prior to serving. I find that the longer this pasta salad sits, the better it is, so you may want to make it several hours beforehand.
Makes about 8 1-cup entree-size servings or 16 1/2 cup side dish servings
1 box whole-wheat rotini pasta, such as Barilla PLUS (about 14 oz)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/3 cup green pepper, diced
1/3 cup sweet red pepper, diced
1/3 cup yellow or orange pepper, diced
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced (I used baby portobellos)
2-3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of your favorite low-fat or fat-free Italian dressing (I used Kraft Light Done Right House Italian)
Cook pasta according to package instructions, rinse, drain, and let cool. While pasta is cooling, chop vegetables.
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring well to coat. Cover, refrigerate, and chill for at least one hour prior to serving. I find that the longer this pasta salad sits, the better it is, so you may want to make it several hours beforehand.
Makes about 8 1-cup entree-size servings or 16 1/2 cup side dish servings