This salad is easy to make and is perfect for any occasion. It is light and fresh and can easily be adapted to your liking.This salad makes about 6-7 cups
1lb.Rotini (Spiral Pasta), cooked and cooled*I love the multicolored pasta-see notes
116 oz.bottle, Zesty Italian Dressingsee notes
16.5 oz.can sliced black olives, drained
112 oz.package, frozen Sweet Peas, thawed see notes
1/2lb.cheddar or colby jack cheese, cubed
2-3cups.fresh brocolli, cut up into small piecesas much or as little as you like
Instructions
Mix up all the ingredients in a large bowl. I use about 3/4 of the bottle of dressing, but you can add more or less to taste.
Notes
Other options for pasta are penne, bow tie, or cavatappi/cellentani. I use Zesty Italian Dressing for the robust flavor. I have found it is better tasting than straight Italian. I use about 3/4 of the bottle and then save the rest of the bottle to mix in the salad later as needed (or the next day if I have leftovers). The pasta tends to soak up the dressing, so save the extra dressing to mix in later.I use cheddar or Colby jack cheese and cut it into smaller cubes (you can see in the photo).I use frozen sweet peas. I like the frozen better because they taste better in my opinion. Make sure they are thawed before adding them to the salad. I usually only use 1/2 the package, but you can use the entire package if you like peas. Canned peas would work too, just make sure you drain them first before adding them to the salad.Here are some other options to mix in your salad: pepperoni, salami, cucumbers, tomatoes (diced) or cherry tomatoes, cooked, cut-up chicken breast, green peppers, or green olives.We double this salad for big family parties.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.