Guiltless Pasta Salad!

My family always loved having pasta salad in the summer, especially with burgers, hot dogs, and most all grilling items. My mother started shying away from it because of how many carbs were in the pasta and put that on top of buns, fries, potatoes, you name it. I actually just got done making it and I realized that this recipe can be so much better, especially for those who want to make sure they're not just adding more carbs to their meal!

Guiltless Pasta Salad

What you may not be able to tell from the picture is the sheer amount of vegetables in this pasta salad. And that's only using what's in my fridge; there are so many more to put in!

The trick is to get the ratio right. for each serving of pasta you want a serving of vegetables. Variety is key, as are the extras you add to make it taste like you're eating a regular pasta salad, not a whole bunch of veggies.

Here's what I did:

-1 box (12 oz) Rainbow Rotini (adding spinach and tomato to the pasta)
-1/2 bottle (8 oz) Zesty Italian Dressing (low sodium options if possible)
-6-8 oz carrots, chopped finely
-16 oz sugar snap peas, chopped finely
-8 oz turkey pepperoni, chopped finely

1. Cook pasta in boiling water for 9 minutes.
2. Using a chopper, grater, or really awesome knife skills to chop your vegetables to your liking of thickness.
3. After straining the pasta, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Chill for two hours and serve cold.

Pretty simple, right? A serving of pasta is 2 oz, or about a half cup. And for every half cup of pasta, there's a half cup of vegetables. Adding the pepperoni with the Zesty Italian dressing helps keep the flavor strong and less vegetable...y.

Other vegetables you can add:
Cauliflower (Which my family usually adds, we just didn't have any today)
Peppers (I wouldn't use a lot because they are strong and can overpower the taste)
Bean Sprouts
Cherry Tomatoes
Broccoli
Scallions (Again, don't use so much because of the strength of the flavor)
Black Olives

There are some times where we'll add cheese to the dish. Either small cubes of cheddar or colby jack, or the powdered Parmesan cheese.

It's a healthier alternative to your standard barbeque pasta salad, and a nice change for those who try and eat vegetables daily without feeling like a rabbit. Like I said, it's a huge hit at my house!