Lunch?  Dinner?  Whether you have access to the outside or are stuck inside, turn your meal into a picnic! Take lunchtime outside and enjoy some fresh air while dining al fresco.  Bring a blanket and sit under your favorite tree.  If it is rainy or cold or you are without a yard, lay a blanket on your living room floor and transport yourself outside with YouTube on a nature sounds channel.  We enjoy johnielawson.     

Sandwiches, lemonade, watermelon… there are so many wonderful picnic foods. Pasta salads are always a great make ahead dish.  This is our family’s favorite. My dad taught me to make it when I was in college; and, if I was able to make it in college, this recipe is undoubtably easy!

Ingredients:

1 box Tricolor Fusilli Pasta (12-16 oz depending on brand).

1 pint grape tomatoes – halved

1 yellow pepper – sliced 1/4″ think and then cut in half

1 orange pepper – sliced 1/4″ think and then cut in half

1 can medium black olives, drained

1 brick mozzarella cheese – cut into 1/2″ cubes

1 lb Genoa salami cut 1/4” thick, cut into wedges

1 Cup bottled Italian salad dressing, plus more to taste

Step 1:  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Toss with 1/2 Cup Italian salad dressing. Cool to room temperature.

Step 2:  Combine cooled pasta, tomatoes, peppers, olives, cheese and salami in a bowl and toss with 1/2 Cup of salad dressing.

Step 3:  Let salad sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to let the flavors combine.

Step 4:  If desired, toss salad with more dressing to taste before serving.

Step 5: Enjoy your picnic!

I love how colorful this salad is, however, running to the store is certainly more complicated at the moment.  The beauty of this salad is you can swap out any pasta; radiatori or farfalle pasta work well. As you can see from my picture, the grocery store was out of tricolor pasta so I used plain.  Any two bell peppers will work.  Any size black olive is fine, although I would chose small over large olives if the choice is available.  You can swap brick mozzarella for fresh, or use any salami or pepperoni in any thickness. As much as I try to stick with organic ingredients, Wish Bone is my Italian dressing of choice for this pasta salad.

What do you love to take on a picnic? Share in the comments.

This is the second of five in our series, Turn the Mundane into a Memory. If you don’t want to miss our future posts, be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Don’t forget to read A Spin on Snack Time and Turn the Mundane into a Memory.