Pasta salad is truly an art. Trust me, I’ve been to enough barbecues and family reunions to talk. One poorly chosen ingredient, be it in taste or texture, can ruin the whole thing. Too much dressing and your pasta wilts, too little and you’re left with dry, starchy noodles. Obviously, I’m pretty particular about my pasta salad, which is why I’ve never attempted it for a party of my own before.
That was, until this summer, when while planning a Fourth of July themed soiree for my sorority alumnae club, I ran into the problem of finding a side dish to accompany the mini burgers I planned on serving. Pasta salad would be the perfect solution. But could I find a recipe that was elegant enough to match the menu, company and decor? And was I, the admittedly inconsistent chef, up for the task?
As a last minute addition to the party menu (I was already at the grocery store!) I decided to attempt a pasta salad. A quick call to my mom reminded me of the perfectly prepared past salad that my Aunt Tricia brought to this year’s family Easter festivities. Another quick flip of the iPhone and I found myself scribbling this delicious recipe on the back of my grocery list.
Turns out it was a hit. Not only was the pasta salad delicious, the ingredients came together to make a photo worthy dish! Check out the full recipe below.
Aunty T’s Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Bag Multi-Color Pasta Twists Boiled and Cooled
- ½ Bottle Wishbone Italian dressing
- 1 8 oz Can Red Kidney Beans Drained
- 1 8 oz Can Marinated Artichoke Hearts
- 1 Can Sliced Black Olives
- ? Package Hard salami cut in ribbons
- ½ Onion Chopped
- 1 Green Bell Pepper Chopped
- 1 Cucumber Chopped
- 1 Package Cherry Tomatoes
Instructions
- Combine all in bowl. Mix well.
kendall that pasta salad looks soooo delicious and just like the pasta salad one of my neighbors used to make when i was a kid. can’t wait to try it!!!
love, love pasta salad – will have to give this recipe a go for sure! x