Simple Summer Pasta Salad

June 12, 2012
If there is one thing I can go on and on about, it is my family. I am so blessed to have such a close relationship with my family. I like to think that we are all friends too!
Today’s recipe is a favorite of my little baby brother, Zack. Since this is his favorite food and possibly the only thing he can cook/make well, I should probably tell some embarrassing story about him, right?
Let me start off by saying that, being the youngest, he definitely gets his way and is used to people doing things for him most of the time. When we were younger, we fought all the time! I feel like it had to be the power struggle between the oldest and youngest for all of your parents’ attention.
As we got older, we started to develop similar tastes in music. Our personalities started to lean towards the same sarcastic tendencies. We started to become friends.
When my middle brother and I went away to college, Zack was left at home alone with my parents. Nick and I kind of felt for him. Going from being one of three that your parents focus on to the only one around that gets all of their attention, not to mention having to listen to their worries and complaints about the other two who are away at school…it’s a hard job.
The weekend of Halloween the year before Zack went into college, Nick was planning to come down to visit me at Illinois State. I talked to my parents and somehow convinced them to let Zack come and visit for the night too.
Now, those of you who have ever been on a college campus during Halloween know just what kind of shenanigans go on that night. Poor little Senior in high school Zack had no idea what he was in for. I want it to be known, without going into too many mortifying details, that this was a weekend that went down in history.
During that weekend my middle brother, Nick, ended up meeting one of my sorority sisters for the first time. She is now his wife and they have a little baby on the way!
In that very same weekend, Zack said one of the best things ever said in the history of our lives….
At the end of the night of funny business, my friends and brothers were back at my apartment eating some late night snacks. All of a sudden I look over into the kitchen and see Zack standing alone, eating slice after slice of bread.
I guess he had heard somewhere that if you are feeling a little tipsy you should eat some carbs to counteract the alcohol. Maybe he Googled it beforehand…who knows.
I asked, “Zack, you okay over there man?” He looked at me, and with a mouthful of bread said, “Stef, the bread’s not working!”
My entire apartment broke into laughter. We decided enough was enough and everybody headed off to bed.
The next day, my parents came to pick Zack up and take all of us out to lunch before they headed back home. Sticking to the guidelines set out in the sibling code, we said nothing of the details from the night before. We quietly ate our lunches and then said goodbye.
I love my brothers so much, and I know they would say the same thing about me. One thing I can tell you from growing up with Zack is that he is a kind-hearted loving guy. But, he will always love carbs more than any other thing in the world!
Ingredients (Serves 4 – 6)
For the Salad:
12 Ounces Your Favorite Pasta Noodle
1 Carrot, thinly sliced
12 Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, cut in half or fourths
½ Cup Canned Sliced Black Olives
¾ Cup Broccoli, chopped
For the Dressing:
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Salt
½ Teaspoon Pepper
1 ½ Tablespoons McCormick Salad Supreme Seasoning
¼ Cup White Vinegar
¾ Cup Olive Oil
Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta to the salted water. Boil for seven minutes. Drain and then cool.
Prepare the vegetables. Peel a large carrot and then thinly slice it. Cut each cherry or grape tomato in half or fourths, whichever you prefer. Drain the canned black olives, measure out a half a cup, and set on the side.
To save money, buy a head of broccoli instead of the precut stuff. Chop off about ¾ a cup of small bite-size pieces of broccoli. Save the rest of the broccoli to be used as a side dish later.
While the pasta is still cooling, prepare the salad dressing. Before I go into instructions, let me tell you to buy this Salad Supreme seasoning. It is the best addition to any pasta salad. Having this seasoning blend on hand makes the process of making a bummer BBQ side dish sooooo much easier!
Add the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, McCormick Salad Supreme and vinegar to a large mixing bowl. (Use a bowl large enough to fit the entire pasta salad in.) Whisk in the olive oil.
Add the vegetables and pasta to the bowl with the dressing in it. Mix well. Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it. The pasta is best served at room temperature and will last under refrigeration in a sealed container for up to two weeks.

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  • Julie
    June 13, 2012 at 6:40 am

    Your page looks great! We love pasta salad. We love carbs way too much. There is nothing like having stories about your little brother, but they can also blackmail you, too (my little brother told my husband one of those I-think-I-will-die-if-he-knows stories the night before we got married. I’ve never known if it’s because he wanted to get me back for everything, or if he was trying to forewarn my husband. Either way, my husband still showed up the next day for the wedding. =) I’m glad Stephie told me about your site–you have some yummy recipes.

  • Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out
    June 12, 2012 at 7:47 pm

    When my best college friend turned 21, her mom spent the entire afternoon before we went out that night feeding us bread. No joke. I’d like to say it worked……..but then again I did wind up dreaming of bottles of flavored Absolut Vodka dancing around my head like sugar plums…..

    Pasta salad – best summer food everrrrrr.

  • DB-The Foodie Stuntman
    June 12, 2012 at 1:13 pm

    Tri color pasta is the best for summer pasta salads.

  • Mary Ellen @ Pâte à Chew
    June 12, 2012 at 9:47 am

    This looks great, I’m into pasta salad these days. And like Zack, I also love carbs more than anything 🙂