Italian Pasta Salad

Today I'm sharing one of the yummiest spin-offs on a childhood favorite: Italian Pasta Salad. I switched things up a bit to make this recipe not only delish but also nutrient-dense. YUM!

Recipe by Emily Bowen, Inspired by Cathy Potts

Serves Eight-Ten

The Ingredients

Pasta Salad

• 4 oz baby romaine, chopped

• 4oz pepperoni, sliced into fourths

• 3 cups carved rotisserie chicken, optional

• 12oz (dry) fusilli pasta noodles

• 1/2-3/4 sweet onion, chopped and diced

• 1.5 cups shredded parmesan

• 5 large carrots, chopped and diced

• 1/3 cup Greek peperoncini peppers, sliced

• Use 1/2-3/4 of the Italian dressing (recipe below)…or until you’re happy with the taste. The recipe is a bit larger because depending on how much chicken you put in the pasta salad, you may end up wanting it all! I like to save any leftover dressing for lettuce salads I make throughout the week.

Dressing (Recipe by Christina with The Whole Cook)

• 1.5 cup olive oil

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• 2 tsp dried oregano

• 2 tsp dried basil

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp crushed red pepper

• 1.5 tsp salt

• 1 tsp pepper

• 2 tsp lemon juice

The Instructions

• Cook pasta according to package instructions. Rinse the cooked pasta in cold water.

• Add all the ingredients together and toss. Pour all the Italian dressing over the pasta salad, stir and dig in!

• Store any leftovers in the fridge.