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Old Favorite Pasta Salad -I have made this salad for many years. You can vary the ingredients, but this version is my family's favorite. This salad would be perfect as a side dish or for lunch. Salad ingredients: 1 pound cooked, chilled tricolor pasta (fusilli or farfalle) 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered 1/2-1 lb fresh mozzarella (depending on preference, cut into bite size pieces 1/2-1 c fresh slivered basil 1 cup garbanzo beans Vinagrette: 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil 1 tbsp. italian dressing mix (I use Penzey's, from www.penzeys.com) Toss ingredients with desired amount of vinagrette and chill for several hours before serving.

Why is that you have Lemon Tahini on your salad bar but no longer sell the Whole Foods brand on the shelf? Diane, from Raleigh NC

Oh man, I am the Queen of Not-Cooking once the summer rolls around. It gets, like CRAZY hot here, and being in the kitchen is no fun. My favorite hardly cooked pasta salad is: cooked & chilled whole wheat rotini (you do have to boil this, but I prep everything else over at the table while the pasta is cooking), halved cherry tomatoes, a jar of artichoke hearts, some kalamata olives, cubed goat cheese (feta works), a TINY splash of Paul Newman's Italian Dressing to help it all stick together, and some torn basil leaves and minced chives. Maybe a strong-arm grind of black pepper or two.

To modify this to be gluten free, I substitute gluten free pasta, and make my own salad dressing!

McCormick makes this tasty seasoning called Salad Supreme. It's become the staple for my summer pasta salad because it simplified the ingredient list. Now, it's never been my cooking style to use measurements. I'm from the south so unless we are baking, everything is "added to taste" so I will approximate as best as possible. My pasta salad is: 1 red bell pepper 1 orange bell pepper 1 yellow bell pepper 2 medium cucumbers 8oz of cherry tomatoes 1/4 medium red onion 1 bag of your favorite pasta 1 1/2 bottles of McCormick Salad Supreme extra virgin olive oil Cook pasta to your desired texture, rinse under cold water stirring to assure that the pasta is loose and let cool. Dice all vegetables to approximately 1/2 inch pieces. Combine pasta and fresh veggies. Add the Salad Supreme seasoning and just enough oil to coat pasta and veggies so that the seasoning will stick well to all ingredients. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Try using Johnny Jambalaya's Herb Dressing & Marinade in your pasta salad next time--it's great and healthy!

I have made this recipe many times and it is always eaten up, with people asking for the recipe. Highly recommend your trying it! Basil, mozzarella and grilled veggies - how can one go wrong?

I make this pasta salad all year round. It can be eaten hot, room temp on a picnic or chilled. You could substitute the peameal bacon with chicken or turkey breast. 1 lb Barilla Companelle (or any pasta shape you like) 1 cup Sundried tomatoes, cut into small pieces 3-4 cups Arugula, torn into small pieces 1 lb Peameal bacon (sauteed, then thinly sliced) 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 2 tbsp Olive oil pepper to taste Boil and drain pasta, when it's still hot, add peameal bacon and olive oil, toss in sundried tomatoes and parmesan, then add the arugula.

I almost never measure the ingredients for what I am cooking, I just eyeball, and add ingredients until it looks and tastes right to me. So, I will try to guesstimate amounts and hopefully you will get the jest of what I am making. 1. about 1/2 to 3/4 package of rotelle pasta, cooked and allowed to cool 2. thinly sliced red onion, about 1/2 to 3/4 or green onions can be used, about 2 of those thinly sliced 3. about 4-5 healthy sprigs of Italian parsley lightly chopped 4. 1/2 to 3/4 of a cucumber cut in half length wise and thinly sliced 5. about 3/4 C of cherry tomatoes cut in half, or a large tomato quartered and sliced 6. 1/2 half to 3/4 red bell pepper cut in half twice and then sliced 7. about 1/2 cup of sliced Kalamata olives 8. 3/4 to 1 can of garbanzo beans 9. about 10 shakes of Napa Valley extra virgin olive oil, I am guessing about 1 tablespoon 10. about 8-10 shakes of Napa Valley red wine vinegar 11. a few shakes of Spike 12. Ground black pepper 13. about 3/4 of a 6oz pack of Sunergia soy feta Mediterranean flavor, crumbled 14. about 1/2 C walnut halves broken into small pieces Mix all ingredients together. Ingredients can be adjusted more or less according to taste. Options - for variety steamed broccoli can be added, sugar snap peas or raw baby spinach. Also, everything I use is organic, with the exception of the Spike and olives, as I am unable to find organic olives anywhere.

Bruschetta Pasta Salad 1-lb box ditalini pasta or penne (cooked and cooled) 4 roma tomatoes 1 med red onion 2 cloves garlic 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves 1 cup oil (I like canola) 1 lb mozzarella cheese 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese salt and pepper to taste Dice up 3 roma tomatoes, 1/2 red onion, and dice the mozzarella into 1/2 inch cubes. Mix in with chilled cooked pasta. In a blender combine oil, remaining onion, basil,garlic, and parm cheese. Add about a tsp of salt and pepper, then blend until smooth. Pour over the pasta, and mix thoroughly. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Bon Appetite

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I asked some checkers which was their favorite food from the deli. They said a pasta dish with smoked mozzarella cheese. could I get the recipe for that? Thank you so much.