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sandy and tom's pasta salad

Recipe by
Megan Stewart
Middletown, OH

My sister in law says this is the pasta salad Tom (her dad) made all the time. Sandy made a version of it for my 51st birthday, and sister in law told her that dad makes it better! I have eaten a version of this since I married John almost 22 years ago! This one will be a great addition to your recipes!

yield 12 , unless you leave a lot out...lol
method Stove Top

Ingredients For sandy and tom's pasta salad

  • 4 oz
    bowtie pasta (or other of your choice) 1 1/3 cups
  • 4 oz
    tricolor corkscrew macaroni (or pasta of your choice)
  • 1 tsp
    dried crushed red pepper flakes (she omits)
  • 1 md
    sweet red pepper cut into thin strips (she cuts into chunks after that)
  • 1 md
    yellow squash, halved, sliced lengthwise (and/or zucchini) (sandy omitted, she left it at the store...lol)
  • 10 oz
    frozen peas, thawed, or 1 1/2 c fresh peas, cooked and cooled
  • 6 oz
    black olives, pitted, drained (another thing she left at the strore, rotfl) (i would omit, as i don't like olives)
  • 3 oz
    smoked cheddar cheese, cubed (same size as the pepper)
  • 1 c
    unbleached whole almonds, toasted (they never put this into the mix)
  • 1/2 c
    green onion, sliced (she puts it on the side if people want to add it since they don't like onions)
  • 2 Tbsp
    fresh tarragon, snipped, or 2 t oregano, basil, or dill (sandy used italian seasoning)
  • 8 oz
    italian salad dressing
  • 2
    hard boiled eggs (she was going to add, but opted not to at the last minute)

How To Make sandy and tom's pasta salad

  • 1
    Cook pasta. If you want to use the crushed red pepper flakes, add to the water when cooking the pasta. Rinse with cold water to cool and stop cooking process, then drain well. Cool pasta to room temp. In large bowl, combine all remaining but dressing, then add dressing and toss to coat. Toss very gently so as not to break the pasta. Cover and chill 2-24 hours.
  • 2
    Since I like onion, I would add more and put it into the salad, especially since I really and I mean REALLY don't like olives.

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