Dad's Pasta Salad

A few months ago, I shared my dad’s go-to pasta salad on my IG stories! I had no idea how many of you would love it so I decided to give it a home on the blog. It couldn’t be easier to pull together (the hardest part is boiling pasta and chopping veggies). You can use whatever you have in the fridge too, the sky is the limit. It’s also incredibly hearty so you can make it ahead of time, I hope you enjoy! Please let me know if you try it, would love to see.

Ingredients

• 1lb of bow tie pasta

• 1 medium yellow squash (raw, cubed)

• 1 medium green zucchini (raw, cubed)

• Generous handful of baby spinach (I like to roughly chop it)

• 1/2 medium red onion or 2 green onions (sliced small)

• 1 red pepper (raw, diced)

• 1/4-1/2 cup of black pitted Kalamata olive (omit if you don’t like olives)

• 1 can of garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained)

• 1/2-3/4 cup of sliced pepperoni

• 1/2 cup grated parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese  (and then more before serving) 

• 1/2-3/4 cup Italian dressing (and then more before serving) we like to use Chivetta’s

• Salt + pepper to taste 

  directions:

  Boil pasta according to box instructions to al dente, be sure not to overcook since the dressing will absorb into the pasta. Drain + rinse with cold water.

  In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.
  If you’re making ahead of time, add just a little bit of dressing to let the ingredients absorb without soaking. Add spinach just before serving to prevent wilting. Be sure to toss the salad and add more dressing + cheese before serving as well. Enjoy!