A blog a day in May ~ Paula's Italian Pasta Salad

Personally, I don't like anything with dressings or mayo, but when I agreed to make pasta salad for 40 people at a baby shower and Paula Deen had this recipe on the same day, I thought it was pretty much a message sent from above that this will do, without needing a taste test.


So 3 pounds of bow-tie pasta is cooking alongside 1 lb of baby bow-tie pasta (nice touch, eh? for the baby shower?) 

Paula's Italian Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1 pound bow tie pasta
• 1 cup store-bought balsamic vinaigrettedressing
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 (4-ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 2/3 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1/2 diced green bell pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Grated Parmesan, for topping

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the pasta cook it according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinaigrette, mayonnaise, and sugar.

Drain the pasta well, transfer to a large serving bowl, and let cool. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, green pepper, salt, to taste, and the black pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the cheese, toss lightly, and serve.

Enjoy!