Garlic Pasta Salad With Pecans

This is my own recipe. I use it for most special occasions, with shrimp, and potlucks, with chicken. You can adapt it with just about any fresh veggie or cooked meat you would like! Cut the mayonnaise by half and make up the difference with plain yogurt, or sub plain yogurt entirely, for an eggless dish.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2  cups rotini pasta, uncooked (I use tri color rotini)
• 2  cups boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked, cut into 1/2 inch cubes or 2  cups  cooked shrimp, de-tailed
• 1⁄2 lb colby cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 (12 ounce) bag  frozen peas, thawed or 2  cups fresh broccoli or 1  cup  diced green bell pepper
• 1 (8 ounce) bag pecan halves, unsalted
• 1  cup grapes, halved (I use red seedless grapes for color)
• 1  cup mayonnaise
• 1 (1 ounce) packet  Lipton Recipe Secrets savory herb with garlic soup mix

Directions

1. Cook pasta rinse well, and chill.
2. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise and Lipton Recipe Secrets until well blended.
3. Cover, let stand in refrigerator to combine flavor, while you prepare remaining ingredients.
4. In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients (hold out a few pecans and grapes for garnish). Add pasta and mayonnaise mixture, toss until well coated.
5. Place in serving bowl.
6. Top with remaining grapes and pecans.
7. IF substituting the fresh broccoli, eat or throw about the salad after 2 days. the broccoli tastes funny after that. (not that we often HAVE leftovers!) We haven't tried the bell pepper option yet, due to an allergy, but friends assure me it's very good.