"Tom's World Famous Pasta Salad" Recipe

This is provided as a free public service....... I like to share things that I love.
And "World Famous" is in jest. Of course.

 

“Tom’s World-Famous Pasta Salad”

 

 

Soooooo, there’s really is no recipe or measurements; this is more of a guideline. You’ll have to figure out proportions on your own. Start small - you can always add more of whatever as you prefer. Also, this is more of a vegetable-heavy pasta salad – which is better for you, IMHO.

 

Ingredients -
Finely chop - (I figure the finer the better, it cuts down on the chewing, especially since all the vegetables are raw)
broccoli
cauliflower

zucchini
red pepper, or yellow, or orange
kale - no big stems
carrots
onion - if desired, I like Vidalia or sweet
garlic - we used the minced garlic from a jar

You can use any other vegetable you might have, or like.

Also added -
salt 
ground black pepper
nutritional yeast, if you have it - I added a generous sprinkle.
sunflower seeds, or any kind of seeds really. Sesame or roasted pumpkin seeds are good.
raisins
a pinch of dried basil and dried oregano

Sometimes I also like to add -
finely chopped fresh spinach
rarely, I add celery - it doesn't add anything nutritionally, it just adds crunch
I add tomatoes, if I'm going to eat it right away


Pasta -
whatever you like; I like rotini. I usually go light on the pasta; I'd say it’s about 30% pasta to veggies.

The Dressing –
I use the minimum amount so it’s not too saucy or overpowering. Start with the bare minimum; you can always add more.
extra virgin olive oil - not too much - you don't want it too oily.
vinegar - I use Bragg's apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, and balsamic vinegar – equally, or any amount you like. Careful - too much vinegar can be overpowering. You can always add more, (lesson learned).
mustard - I used Dijon, but sometimes I use yellow, or spicy. Again, just a little of this. Not sure if you ever taste the mustard, but it's in there.
ranch dressing - I usually add this last; to taste. My wife’s not a big fan, so I keep it to a bare minimum.  
You could probably add any salad dressing you'd like. We usually only have ranch.

In the past, I've also added - 
yogurt
cheese - feta is good – or any kind of shredded cheese. Just a bit.
capers, yum!
hummus
You really can add in anything - I figure the more variety, the better.

The Process –

I usually chop everything while the pasta is cooking. After everything is chopped, add in the liquids and the salt and pepper etc., and toss/stir. Then add the cooked, drained, and cooled pasta. Toss/stir again. Add ranch dressing. Toss/stir. Taste - and alter to taste. You can always add more of whatever once it's all together. That's the real key – taste, and alter to taste. The more you make it, the more you’ll learn how to make it "right" - but for me it's always delicious!

A lot of times I make extra and enjoy it the next day.

Basically this is a fine chopped salad without the lettuce. And you can pile it all on spinach or lettuce as a quick salad.

 

tom

 

PS Next time I make this, I'll try to add some photos as reference.