Entertaining Appetizer - Pasta Salad

Every cook seeks to add some variety to the side dish menu. So often potatoes and rice are the traditional sides appearing on the dinner plate. Why not serve up some delicious tasty pasta salad? This recipe is very easy, and you can age it to incorporate ingredients you have on hand.

This dish is best served warm, but do not toss the leftovers. They are also good cold, or you can do a quick warm in the microwave. Do not heat too long, though, because you do not want to "cook" the mayonnaise. You can mix up different pastas, using some colored rotini for some flair.

I often mix together traditional "white" enriched pasta along with some whole grain or spinach varieties. My family will eat spinach and whole wheat pasta if it is not the only pasta in the dish, so just toss some of those along with the regular pasta, adjusting the ratios as desired.

This recipe is very flexible Allowing you to utilize leftovers and food you have on hand. Summer garden vegetables work great in this recipe. If you do not have the exact ingredients listed, feel free to substitute items you do have, using your culinary creativity.

Eight ounces of pasta makes about 4-6 side dish servings. You can increase quantities or decrease as needed.

Ingredients:

* 8 ounces of pasta (mix together different pastas such as elbow macaroni, Piccolini, and colorful rotini)
* Red and / or yellow bell pepper
* Green Onions
* Celery
* Black Olives
* Bacon (4-5 slices per 8 ounces pasta)
* Salt, Pepper, Italian Seasoning
* Mayonnaise
* Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1st Cook bacon and set aside to drain.
2nd Dice all of the vegetables into small dice. Total of all vegetables is 1 cup per 8 ounces of pasta, no need to get too exact here.
3rd Assemble the vegetables on a plate, sprinkle with Italian seasoning (be generous) salt and pepper, and set aside. If you want to spice things up a little, add some crushed red pepper flakes.
4th This pasta dish is best served warm, so finish other dinner preparations.
5th About 15 minutes before dinner, cook pasta according to directions.
6th Drain pasta, DO NOT RINSE.
7th Add vegetables and crumbled bacon to pasta.
8th Add mayonnaise to pasta and stir, use about 1 / 2 cup per 8 ounces of pasta, or according to taste.
9th Stir gently with rubber spatula.
10th Add grated Parmesan cheese to top and again pepper (fresh ground black pepper is best).
11th Serve immediately (again, best served warm).

Be creative and add other ingredients you have on hand. You can add leftover meat, green olives, or cheddar cheese small Squares. If you are a gardener, this is a great way to utilize your vegetable bounty. Hot peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, snow peas or English, and eggplant are delicious in this salad.