What My Friends Are Cooking: Karen's Pasta Salad

I'm taking a little break from blogging this week, and am sharing a few recipes from my friends in "What my Friends Are Cooking Week."  I'll be back soon. 

Hi there! My name is Karen and you can normally find me blogging over at Karen At Home.

I love Leigh and her '"Hines-Sight Blog"  It is ceratinly one of my daily reads and it is very exciting for me to be able to be here today and share an easy recipe with Leigh’s amazing readers.

I just love Summer!! The weather has FINALLY warmed up here in Cleveland and the rain seems to have taken a break for the moment. With so many Summer BBQ's on the horizon, I thought I would take a moment to share my favorite summer pasta salad with you! This colorful blend of pasta and vegetables is so easy to make, it's the perfect side dish for all of your Summer BBQ's!!

This pasta dish couldn’t be easier to make, and it’s so delicious! The key ingredient is the Good Seasons Italian dressing. This dressing is so yummy and so full of flavor. I always make mine from the little packet with vinegar, water and oil. If you are new to Good Seasons, make sure you buy the box that includes the free salad dressing curet bottle. It has the little notches on the side of the bottle so you know exactly how much vinegar, water, and oil to use. It's delicious and so worth it!!!

{What you Need}

1 1lb of tricolored rotini pasta

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

1 orange pepper

1 seedless cucumber

2 vine ripened tomatoes

Good seasons Italian Dressing

1 block of Kraft cheddar cheese

1 block of Kraft Colby Jack cheese

1 block of Mozzarella cheese

Cook your pasta according to the directions on the box and strain. While the pasta is still sitting in the strainer, run cold water over it to keep the pasta from sticking together and to bring down the temperature. You don't want to add the rest of the ingredients to the pasta while it is still warm because it will melt the cheese. Once the pasta is at room temperature, strain any excess water and place in a bowl. Immediately pour the Good Seasons Dressing over the pasta to keep it from sticking, then stir it all around.

Get your cutting boards ready, because you are going to need them!!! While you are cooking the pasta on your stove top, cut the peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, and cheese all into bite size pieces. Add your chopped veggies and cheese to your bowl of pasta. Pour the rest of your Good Seasons dressing over the mixture until completely coated. Chill for an hour. Enjoy!

Thanks for having me today!  I would love it if you would stop by Karen At Home to see more recipes and a few other fun ideas!

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