Mix and Match Pasta Salad
Enjoy a pasta salad in under 30 minutes, made from the ingredients you have on hand! Change the flavors and match your food preferences with different proteins, veggies and dressing.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Makes: 6 cups
Ingredients
(See Notes for ingredient ideas)
1 cup pasta, uncooked (about 2 1/2 cups cooked)
1 ½ cups bite-sized protein
1 ½ cups bite-sized vegetables, fresh, canned or frozen
¼ cup salad dressing
Directions
- Wash hands with soap and water.
- Rinse or scrub fresh produce under cool running water before preparing.
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- While pasta is cooking, combine protein, vegetables and salad dressing in a large bowl.
- Drain cooked pasta and add to bowl of vegetables. Stir to combine. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
Notes:
- Ingredient Ideas
Pasta - shapes such as macaroni, bow tie or rotini. Save a half cup of the cooking water in case you want to add moisture at the end.
Protein - any mixture of cooked chicken, beef, pork, seafood, tofu, beans, lentils, cheese, or eggs.
Vegetables - any mixture of fresh, canned or frozen. Cook frozen vegetables according to package directions before adding. Partially cook hard vegetables such as carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. You can also add grated vegetables.
Salad Dressing - use a prepared dressing or try a Food Hero recipe.
- Try adding fresh herbs such as chopped parsley or cilantro for more flavor and color.
- Try adding chopped nuts, seeds, olives or dried fruit for flavor and texture.
Want to learn more about this topic? Explore more resources from OSU Extension:
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