Rainbow Pasta Salad

Rainbow Pasta Salad

Rainbow Pasta Salad is one of my favorite cold pasta salads to make.  It is easy to make, and it makes a good leftover for work lunches and school lunches.

Ingredients:

• 8oz rotini pasta
• 15 pepperoni slices, quartered (or more if desired)
• 3/4 cup Italian dressing
• 4oz mozzarella cheese (from a block), cubed
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli, chopped small
• 1/4 cup black olives

 

To Assemble:

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Drain well.  Place cooked pasta in a large bowl.  Stir in all of the remaining ingredients. Cover the bowl with a lid.  Let the dish marinate for at least 1 hour.

Notes:

• Broccoli - I microwave-cook a 10.8 oz. bag of frozen broccoli. I drain it on paper towels and use approximately half of the broccoli for this recipe.  I reserve the other half of the broccoli for another recipe, such as Broccoli Cheddar Quiche. 
• Dressing - I use a little less dressing than other cold pasta salads because I often have a good bit left sitting at the bottom of the dish.
• Cheese - I prefer to cube the cheese from a block instead of grating the cheese because the shredded cheese tends to stick together in clumps - it doesn't stir as well.