Simple, Cheap and Tasty Pasta Salad!

Summer is just around the corner, and what could make barbecuing your favorite foods under the stars even better? Why, pasta salad of course! Pasta salads are simple, tasty and cost effective. Depending on the ingredients, they can also be quite healthy. They are hearty and can keep for several days. They also make a great addition to meals or serve as a great snack when you're on-the-go. Here at Mario's Kitchen, we thought we would take a night off from the margaritas to bring you this delicious mix of carbohydrates, vitamins and protein (cheese and egg) to help you cool off when the temperature goes up. I call it my chicken-or-not pasta salad, meaning, you can add chicken, or not!

You are going to need:
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 dry pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 lb dry pasta of your choice (we like tri-colored rotini)
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, cubed

After chopping and dicing the veggies, keep them together in a separate bowl until you are ready to add them to the cooked pasta. We prefer to add the cubed cheese at the end.



Next, fill your 8-quart pot just below 3/4 full with cold water and bring to a boil.

While you wait for the water to boil, prepare the dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Italian-style salad dressing (we use the "make-it-fresh" Good Seasons Italian Style)
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon



Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl or vessel of your choice; we use our handy Pyrex Prepware 2-Cup Measuring Cup, Clear with Red Measurements
measuring cup.



Cooking Your Pasta



When the water comes to a hard boil, add the pound of pasta and just a pinch of kosher salt. If you are not sure how long to cook your pasta, use the directions on the package.

Once your pasta is fully cooked, pour into a strainer and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain it well and in a large bowl, mix with the veggies and dressing. At this point you may also add the cheese.

I should note: you can also add diced chicken if you desire. This can be store-bought or cooked fresh; however, with chicken as an ingredient it will not keep as long. If you do decide to add chicken, I recommend buying a small package of breast tenderloins and sautéing them in butter or olive oil with a bit of garlic.


It's a good idea to let it cool off a bit before dicing.



In conclusion, this recipe is not set in stone. It is totally up to you to try things and see for yourself what you can come up with. My recipes serve as a base for you to build on. So go ahead and experiment; be a scientist. Whatever you decide, just remember to have some fun!