best.pasta.salad.ever

Back when we were getting ready to move from Utah to Texas my sweet cousin called and asked if she could bring dinner over to eat while we chatted and packed.   I said "yes", of course, and she ended up bringing a pasta salad that quickly became my very favorite. I've made it again so many times and thought it was too good not to share with y'all. 

We have done a little bit of a variation but I'll get to that; here's the original recipe;

Ingredients: 

1 lb. pasta, (your choice, I used multi-grain Rotini) cooked, drained, and cooled
2 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 lb. cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in halves or quarters depending on size
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
2 medium carrots, grated
1/2 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 tsp. chopped fresh mint
1/2 lb. Feta cheese, cut into bite sized cubes
1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 11 minutes
Total Time: 31 minutes

Yield: 8 servings


Here is the dressing, that in my opinion, is what makes the salad;
(courtesy of Athelia Graham)
 

Ingredients: 

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp salt

 ¼ tsp pepper

3 Tbsp vinegar:

*this is the key: half white vinegar and half balsamic vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

¼ tsp dry mustard

¾ tsp grated onions(or fresh green onions)

¾ tsp poppy seeds

* I always double the dressing recipe so I have plenty if it needs a little boost for leftovers, and leftovers with this salad are AWESOME.

So, like I said we often do a variation on the original recipe based on what we have in the house and to save on cost.

Here is a favorite alternative list of ingredients to add to the pasta;

-sauteed sweet onions and Hatch chilli peppers, chopped 

(you could substitute bell peppers or something with a hint of spice for the Hatch peppers if you can't get them.)

*saute with a bit of olive oil and one minced clove of garlic

- chicken: 1 breast, grilled and chopped or one can, shredded

*We still added the cucumber, spinach, green onions, fresh basil, Feta and pepper.