Summer Pasta Salad

Hello! Remember me? I’m Kendra. I’ve missed you.

I know it’s been awhile. It has taken me most of the summer to adjust to this full-time-working-outside-of-the-home gig. Managing not only my time but everyone else’s summer schedules has been a learning experience for me while being gone from the house for 9 hours every day. Some things had to be put off this summer and my blog was one of those things. BUT, I found some spare time this weekend to share a recipe. And today, I have a Summer Pasta Salad that was delicious!

Not only was this blog put on hold for the summer but I opted not to plant a garden as well. I haven’t missed it until now when everyone else in the office and in the neighborhood is talking about their garden accomplishments and I have nothing to share. But luckily for me, they do – their vegetable overflow.

If your garden is bountiful right now and you are a little unsure of what to do with that zucchini that is coming out of your ears or those tomatoes that need to be used up, this is the perfect summer salad.

Enjoy your last few weeks of summer!

Print Recipe

Summer Pasta Salad

This recipe is very versatile. Use whatever vegetables you have ready in your garden.

Yield: 8 - 10 servings

Prep Time: 15 min

Total Time: 1 hour 15 min

Ingredients:

1 pound of cheese tortellini

6 – 8 ounces of cubed Muenster or mozzarella cheese

12 ounces of cubed garlic summer sausage

1 – 2 zucchini cut up – depending on size (about 2 cups)

3 – 4 tomatoes cut up – depending on size (about 2 cups)

1 – 8 ounce can of sliced olives

Zesty Italian Dressing – enough to cover the salad for flavor

Directions:

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions. When done, rinse with cold water.
2. While tortellini is cooking, cut up vegetables.
3. Cube zucchini and tomatoes.
4. Cut up cheese and summer sausage.
5. When pasta is cool, pour into a bowl and add the other ingredients. Mix well.
6. Pour Zesty Italian Dressing over the salad. Just enough to give it flavor. Mix well.
7. Chill for at least an hour or two for flavors to sink in.

Store in an airtight container if you have leftovers.