Pasta Salad

This is the pasta salad that I made for the memorial day potluck at work. I know it's a little late but I thought I had already posted it and then surprise, I found the pictures on my sisters camera. But that's cool because this is one of those universally good passing dishes so it's good all year.

Ingredients:
1 cucumber
1 green pepper
1 small can of chopped black olives(2.25 oz)
1 box of rotini pasta
1 bottle of Italian salad dressing

This is what I use. You can change the veggies out for what ever type of veggie that you like. Different peppers would add some color along with a few chopped carrots. I don't like other types of peppers so I go with the boring type. You can buy rotini in normal pasta color or in a multi color box. The day I went to the store they didn't have a multi colored boxes left, to I went with whole grain pasta. For a party I think the colored pasta is more fun but nobody seemed to mind.

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box (or do it the way I do, throw it in and check it every once and awhile until it feels right when you bite a piece, however you do it). Cut the cucumber and green pepper into little chunks. This is pretty much a preference thing so cut them up as big or small as you like.


Let the pasta cool a little and throw the veggies in with the pasta. Mix about half the bottle of Italian dressing into the salad and put it into the fridge until your ready to serve it. Before serving add the rest of the salad dressing. I do it this way because I think the pasta dries out if you add all of the dressing a long time before you serve it, but I have not done serious testing on the theory.

This is a really easy recipe that people always seem to like. My Mom used to make this a lot when I was a kid and I still love it.