Poppy Seed Pasta Salad

by Mindie May Hilton
SusanvilleStuff Food Blogger

It wouldn’t be Summer without pasta salad. This one’s unique, easy, and delicious. It’s great for potlucks, because it’s affordable to make, and may be prepared ahead of time. It will store well in the refrigerator, staying fresh for 3 to 4 days.

My Poppy Seed Pasta Salad makes a great side dish, or light dinner. I hope you will give it a try.

Poppy Seed Pasta Salad    Makes 1 Large Bowl

Ingredients:

• 10 oz (or more if you like) of Diced Cooked Honey Ham, I used Land O’ Frost Premium Minis
• 1 Cup of Clean Green Grapes, Seedless
• 1 Cup of Clean Red Grapes, Seedless
• 2 Apples, Clean and Diced
• 1 Pound of Monterey Jack Cheese, Cubed
• 1 1/3 Cups of Store Bought Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing (or more to taste)
• 1/3 Cup of Mayonnaise (or more to taste)
• 16 oz (dry) Pasta, I used Wheat Rotini

Directions:

• Step 1. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.  Drain pasta, and rinse with cold water.
• Step 2.  Add all of your ingredients to cold pasta, and stir to combine.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve cold, and store leftovers covered in fridge.

Tips:

As with all pasta salads, you may add more or less dressing, to suit your taste. If pasta seems dry after sitting in fridge, simply add more dressing.  Substitute cooked cubed chicken instead of ham, for a fun twist to this recipe. To reduce calories and fat, use low fat Mayo and dressing varieties, and skim milk cheese.

-Enjoy!

Visit Mindie May’s yummy food blog Bacon Time With The Hungry Hypo.

When she is not cooking up new recipes, she is designing for her shop TLC Creations.