Pasta Salad: Not Just for BBQ's

Good morning friends! It's been so long, I hope you are all doing well and enjoying your summer! 

Mine has been so awesome and so crazy. We spent 4th of July in NY seeing friends and family and doing wedding stuff. It was wonderful!

When we came home Monday we hit the ground running. We took the 6 a.m. flight to Chicago and went right to work, where I'm preparing for a huge educational conference. Extravagant dinners aren't on the menu with the craziness of this week, but this simple, veggie filled pasta salad makes a quick and nutritious meal with leftovers for lunch! 

Veggie Pasta Salad:

The Ingredients:

• Half box of whole wheat pasta (we use fusilli but pick your favorite shape).
• Fresh organic mozzarella cheese (you could also use feta)
• Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar
• Oregano
• Black Pepper
• Veggies - I user tomato, cucumber, string beans and bell pepper. Feel free to add anything else you like (I know a lot of people like olives in pasta salad, but I do not). 

The Ratio: 

I am not a measurer when I cook (also why I'm a terrible baker), so I didn't measure the veggies. I had about a 1:1 ratio of pasta to veggies and maybe half the amount of cheese. Do what feels right.

The Steps:

1. Put a pot of water on to boil. Cook pasta as indicated on the package.
2. While water is boiling, chop all the veggies and cheese to a uniform size (I used a bigger chop because I used fusilli, but if you use elbow macaroni you might chop a little smaller).
3. Put chopped veggies and cheese in a big bowl. When pasta is done, drain, rinse with cold water, and add to bowl of veggies and cheese.
4. Pour in 1-2tbsp of olive oil, 1tsp of balsamic, oregano, black pepper and garlic powder to taste. Mix it all up and let it chill in the fridge for 20 minutes or just eat it right out of the bowl! 

This is a picture of my lunch today, because we ate so
fast last night that I forgot to take a picture! 

Not only is this an easy dinner, it makes a great healthy option to bring to BBQs and parties. And if your have food allergies, feel free to swap in your favorite gluten free pasta or take out the cheese. 

Enjoy!