How to Make QUICK and DELICIOUS Pasta Salad

Dear Fellow Pasta Salad Lover,

Do you love pasta salad but get confused by all the different recipes out there? Health conscience? - As tasty as they are, I'll bet you'd prefer to avoid some of the recipes swimming in Mayo?...Below is easiest way I have discovered to make pasta salad...I am always complimented on it when I bring it to parties and it is so QUICK and CHEAP to make!!

Start at the grocery store. You will need to pick up a large bottle of Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing, a bag of wide egg noodles and a bag or box of spiral pasta (I like to use the colorful noodles to make the dish look a bit more "festive"!) Next, go to the produce section and pick out your favorite 'pasta salad veggies...I am always sure to pick up vine ripe tomatoes and cucumbers, and occasionally I will also get yellow, green and red peppers to add even more vibrant color to the mix.

Next, boil the noodles. Remember though, egg noodles will cook much more quickly than the spirals, so it is best to boil these in separate pots, or, if you prefer to put them together, let the spirals cook for about 3 minutes before adding the egg noodles.

While the noodles are boiling, wash and dice the veggies.

Because I tend to procrastinate and am usually making this salad the day of the party, it is important for me to cool down the hot noodles as quickly as possible. To do so, run cold water over the noodles after they are drained. Or, if you have a pot with a strainer inside, place the strainer back in the pot and fill the pot with cold water, repeat until the noodles have cooled.

Now that everything is cooked and chopped ... dump it all together! Mix the noodles, veggies and entire bottle of Zesty Italian Dressing in a large bowl. Finally, some like sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese over top the dish as a finishing touch! Place this dish in the fridge until you are ready to take it to your event or serve it in your home !

Tips & Warnings

• I am always making this recipe to share with friends and family - and considering how large our family is, I make a HUGE quantity. While I use an entire bag of wide egg noodles and an entire bag/box of spiral noodles, you may want to only use half of these if you are cooking for less people.
• I like to leave the Parmesan cheese beside the dish for those who take it to sprinkle on top as they wish.
• In order to more quickly cool the dish, I also leave the Zesty Italian in the fridge to chill the dressing.
• As the noodles will slowly soak up the strong flavor of the dressing, I often buy a second bottle of Zesty Italian to mix into the noodles in the days following initial preparation.