So, as most of y'all know (unless you're a new reader... and in that case, welcome!) I work full time as a Middle School Math teacher at a Private Christian School. Luke and I are out the door most mornings by 7 a.m. and that doesn't leave TONS of time in the morning for packing lunches :) I will say that Dave is an absolute life-saver in the mornings and he usually gets both mine and Luke's lunch ready. Pasta salad is one of my absolute favorite "Working Mommy lunches" because it's easy to prep and make and I can eat it as a side or my main dish.
My recipe is crazy basic, but in case you're looking for one - give this a whirl.
I gather up the usual suspects... tri-color pasta, a giant cucumber, cherry tomatoes, light Italian dressing, turkey pepperoni, fresh mozzarella and a red onion. I made a batch of pasta salad last week and I used half of my cheese and half of my onion then, so I used the other half tonight.
I boil the pasta and cook it super al dente. While that is cooking I chop up all my veggies and cheese.
I drain and then rinse the pasta with cold water until it's chilly and then just dump the pasta and all the chopped stuff into a big bowl. I squeeze in a little bit less than half of the Italian dressing and mix, mix, mix. I HATE having "too much" dressing, so I often will "under dress" the salad and then add more if I need it later (you can't take it away, so I think it's always better to add more later).
This makes LOTS and will last me several meals/days. Like I said earlier, I can eat it alone with a yogurt cup and call it a lunch or eat it as a side if Dave grills some chicken or something the night before. It's easy to portion out ahead of time so I can just grab my container and go in the morning. Easy!
That looks so yummy!! I love pepperoni in my pasta!
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious! I've actually been planning to make my first pasta salad on Saturday for Nolan's party so this is helpful to read!
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I honestly don't think about pasta salad as a lunch meal since I usually make it as a side, but it's a great idea! You're recipe is similar to mine, although I use a whole bottle of dressing for mine. I may try just adding half next time!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great lunch idea and recipe! I'm always looking for new recipes to try. :)
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