It’s feeling more and more like summer now that we have had weeks of warm weather and all the schools are out for the year. Over the weekend we took Dominik for his very first dip in the pool! The pool was warm, but it was still a little chilly for him. So, we only stayed in the water for a short time. But he loves being in water in general and I plan on taking him into the pool many more times!
The pool is at my father in law’s house and because they were also having a small cook-out, I brought a pasta salad. Pasta salad is an awesome summer food because it’s a cold dish, but it’s often very heavy with mayonnaise or cheese. So I created a fresh, colorful pasta salad using a vinaigrette recipe that I use on my other salads. It turned out better than I anticipated, even my meat eating brother and sister in law (both are still very young) requested leftovers to pack in their school lunches!
Rainbow Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
-1 lb multicolored pasta (any pasta with do)
-half red onion, chopped
-1 bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange) diced
-1 zucchini, diced
-1 yellow squash, diced
-2 Tb olive oil
-salt and pepper
-Maple mustard vinaigrette*
*recipe below
Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, combine the vegetables in a pan and drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook for about 20 minutes in an oven preheated to 400 F.
3. Once everything has cooled, mix veggies and pasta in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette and refrigerate until chilled.
Maple Mustard Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
-1/4 cup olive oil
-4 Tb maple syrup
-4 Tb mustard of your choice
-juice of 1 lemon
-splash of apple cider vinegar (tablespoon or two)
-1 tsp garlic powder
-salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Whisk ingredients until smooth, that’s it!
Enjoy!
