Sweet Colorful Party Pasta Salad

Submitted by Jenn from New Orlea

"This was an attempt to replicate a pasta salad from one of my favorite restaurants. It actually came out better, according to those who compared them. You can add your favorite ingredients. I have never made it with garlic, but included it in the recipe anyhow."

 

• Ready In: 20mins
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 1 (12 ounce) package rotini pasta
• 3⁄4 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1⁄4 cup vegetable oil
• 1⁄4 cup sugar (more or less to taste)
• 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 (2 1/4 ounce) can sliced black olives
• 2 (4 ounce) jars pimientos, drained
• 3 -4 small sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
• chopped celery, about 6 inches
• chopped dried leaf basil (not powdered)
• chopped oregano (not powdered)
• onion powder
• salt
• minced garlic (optional)

directions

1. Start boiling water for pasta and cook according to package directions.
2. While water is heating, you can proceed with the next step.
3. In a skillet, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat, and add all of the sliced bell peppers, stirring continuously for about 5 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Set aside to cool.
4. Drain pasta in cold water for a couple of minutes, until cool.
5. Place in a medium-sized Tupperware-type container and set aside.
6. In a small mixing bowl, combine cider vinegar and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
7. Then mix in olive oil and vegetable oil.
8. Add the liquid mixture to the pasta.
9. Then mix in all of the bell peppers, black olives, pimientos, sliced sun-dried tomatoes, and chopped celery.
10. Add to taste: dash of onion powder, salt, basil leaf, oregano, and minced garlic (if desired).
11. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Best if refrigerated over night. Sometimes pasta will absorb the dressing, so you may want to add a little extra vinegar and oil before serving.
12. Note: You can adjust the amounts of sugar, vinegar, and oil to your desired taste.
13. Enjoy.

Reviews

[jessiesmom in Suffo]

I really love this recipe! It's light, sweet and flavorful without being overpowering. Adding the seasonings to taste after combining all the other ingredients first makes this a easy recipe to adapt to individual preferences. Mine was a little different because I didn't have pamentos; and because I love onions, I added some thinly sliced red onions to the bell peppers and sauted them together. Very good!!!