When I was growing up my grandmother used to make a pasta salad with Italian dressing and a spice that you can easily find in many American grocery stores. It is a spice mix called Salad Supreme. It’s an easy salad and you can customize it with the veggies that you like. That’s the beauty of this salad. My husband doesn’t like tomatoes so I just add them to my bowl. I’m not a big fan of celery so I leave it out and add it to his bowl. If you have favorite veggies you can add as many or few as you like. Now that I’m not in the U.S. I can’t find this particular spice mix but sometimes I’m feeling nostalgic and I still want the pasta salad my grandma used to make. Certain foods just remind me of special times and over the years turn into comfort foods. I like to share these foods with my family. Even though I can’t find the spice, I can find Italian dressing and some of the spices that are in the mix. I have learned to make what I can with what I have to satisfy this particular craving.
Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing
- 1 pound pasta (about 450 g. I prefer penne, farfalle or rotini. Use your favorite!)
- 2 tbsp finely grated fresh romano or parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 3 1/2- 4 cups chopped veggies. (Again, use your favorites!Examples for veggies- 2 carrots, 1 stalk celery, 1 green pepper, 1/2 cucumber, 1 green onion, 1 tomato chopped or several cherry tomatoes split into quarters, 1/2 cup small broccoli florets or use any veggies that you's like in your salad.)
- 6-8 ounces of italian dressing (depending on taste and how many veggies used)
- 1-2 ounces optional cubed cheddar (per serving)
- Cook your pasta according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and run cold water over the top. Set aside.
- While your pasta is cooking add the grated romano,sesame seeds, garlic salt, paprika and pepper to a small bowl and stir together.
- Clean and cut your veggies. You’ll want anywhere from 3 1/2 cups to 4 cups.
- Once you’ve rinsed your pasta with cold water and drained it, add it to a bowl. I like to use a big bowl that I can store in the refridgerator right after putting the salad together.
- Add the veggies to the pasta and stir.
- Sprinkle the spice mix over the top and add about 5-6 ounces of the dressing. If you are adding it and it starts looking like too much just stop and stir. Depending on the type of pasta you use and the amount and type of vegetables that you use, the amount of dressing will vary. It is also somewhat a matter of taste. I like to add it slowly. (You can always add more but if you’ve added too much you can’t take it back out.) As I stir and add the dressing I like to stop and taste to make sure I have the right amount. Slowly add the dressing until the salad is coated.
- Optional. Sometimes, (okay, every time) I like to cube a small amount of cheddar and add it to my salad. I don’t mix this directly into the big bowl because once the leftovers go in the fridge overnight the cheddar can get soggy. It tastes best to add it on top and mix it in as you eat the salad.
- Enjoy!
