Give your summer pasta salad a nutritional edge by using brown-rice pasta. Whole, unprocessed grains, like brown rice can help maintain healthy body weight. This pasta salad recipe is perfect over the summer for BBQs and picnics. However, we make it all year long. It is just a classic and one I think you will love. With flavors of Parmesan cheese, tangy Italian dressing, and crunchy juicy summer vegetables, it is a delight.
How to make Summer Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
- 12 oz package brown rice pasta, cooked per package instructions
- 10 pepperoncini peppers, sliced
- 1 large red pepper, julienned
- 1 large yellow or orange pepper, julienned
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup small frozen peas (thawed under warm water and drained)
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup Italian dressing
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together. Dress immediately before serving with your favorite Italian dressing. Do not dress salad if you plan on storing, as pasta will absorb dressing.
Pro tip: Combine all the ingredients together and let the pasta salad sit for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. For this reason, we always cook the pasta al dente and almost not done so that it soaks up the dressing and it softens as it sits. Do not skip the step of letting the flavors blend together. Refrigerate and watch the magic happen.
Store leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Options:
Cheese:
The recipe calls for Parmesan cheese. To change it up try using fresh mozzarella balls (the mini one). If you want to make this vegetarian or vegan, you can leave the cheese out!
Meat: I love this pasta salad with salami or summer sausage. It adds more flavor, some smokiness, some salt, and bulks everything up with some protein.
Green Olives: They are another great addition to this pasta salad- select slices olives for a great choice.
Herbs: Adding some fresh basil and parsley to this recipe will add another touch of freshness and brightness!
Recipe contributed by Allison Krohn.
