Cheesy Summer Pasta Salad Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup chopped cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup sliced olives
- 1/2 cup diced cucumber
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
- Optional: 1/4 cup sliced pepperoni
- Optional: 1/4 cup diced onions
- Optional: 1/2 cup cooked noodles (such as spaghetti or rotini)
- Optional: 1/4 cup diced hard carrots
- Optional: 1/4 cup sausage crumbles
- Ranch dressing
- Italian dressing
Instructions:
- If you’re adding noodles, cook them according to the package instructions. Once cooked, drain them and immediately rinse with cold water until they are completely cooled. This prevents them from melting the cheese when added to the salad.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped cheddar cheese, olives, cucumber, celery, tomatoes, and any optional ingredients you desire, such as pepperoni, onions, carrots, or sausage crumbles.
- Add both ranch and Italian dressings to the bowl, using a ratio that suits your taste preferences. Start with a 1:1 ratio and adjust as needed.
- Gently toss all the ingredients together until everything is evenly coated with the dressings.
- If you’ve added noodles, gently fold them into the salad mixture.
- Refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld together and chill.
- Serve your Cheesy Summer Pasta Salad cold, garnished with fresh herbs if desired.
Enjoy your taste of summer, even if it’s not quite here yet
