CREAMY ITALIAN PASTA SALAD

The heat is on where I live right now and nobody wants to turn their stove on and eat steaming hot food.  Therefore salads always go over big, even with folks who aren’t usually big salad fans.   But instead of the usual salad fare, here’s a pasta salad that people far and wide approve of.  The pasta makes the salad portable because you don’t have to contend with salad greens, but of course you could certainly serve the salad atop torn romaine lettuce or tender baby spinach leaves if you desire. Add a little radicchio for more colour and so forth.  Whether you’re bringing it out to the backyard or to a picnic or through the woods to grandma’s house; it’s easy, healthy, and most importantly – delicious.

Creamy Italian Pasta Salad           serves 8

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked rotini spiral macaroni. The tri-colour rotini is pretty to the eye

1 cup sliced cauliflowerets or broccoli flowerlets

1 cup diced bell peppers

8 slices Genoa salami (or Calabrese salami) cut into strips

3 small roma tomatoes, cut into wedges

½ cup sliced ripe olives

½ cup chopped red onion

½ cup of diced parmesan cheese

Parmesan salad dressing, see below

Parmesan salad dressing:

1 cup unflavoured yoghurt

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

½ cup light cream or whole milk

Pinch of cayenne pepper (to taste)

Pinch of salt and black pepper

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

Combine all ingredients

Cook the rotini 8 or 9 minutes, or as package directs, then drain and place in cold water.

Drain again and mix with the salami and vegetables and diced parmesan cheese.  Then add the parmesan dressing and stir thoroughly.