Easy Summer Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is always a hit and not hard to make. It is more popular and holds up in the outdoor heat better than potato or traditional macaroni salad.  It scales up and down nicely and you don't have to measure the ingredients.

Mixing the Pasta By Hand

As shown here, I usually use a tri-color bowtie or rotini pasta, but really any pasta will do.  Cook it until it is just tender (al dente) and not too soft.  I usually make one pound and the ingredients below are about right for that, but you can adjust up or down as you prefer.  Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and toss with just a little olive oil to prevent it from sticking.

While the pasta was cooking and cooling, cut into small pieces the following:

• bell peppers (1 each, red, green, orange and yellow)
• red onion (1 medium)
• zucchini (2 small) or seedless cucumber (1 large)
• provolone cheese (buy a 1 pound chunk and cut into 1/2" squares)
• pitted olives (Kalamata, green or others of your choice and quantity)
• McCormick brand "Perfect Pinch" Salad Supreme seasoning

Add the ingredients to the bowl of cool pasta.  Using a small bottle of Italian salad dressing, pour about half the bottle onto the ingredients and toss gently with your hands trying to assure you do not break up the pasta.  Refrigerate overnight.  The pasta will absorb the dressing and be rather dry the next day.

Just prior to serving, chop up some fresh basil and toss on the pasta, add the remainder of the salad dressing, and about 4 tablespoons McCormick Salad Supreme season, again turning it by hand to combine.