Great make ahead-meal with fresh veggies, Italian herbs and a tangy dressing.
Tomato Pasta Salad
Ingredients
4 cups cooked rotini pasta
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup chopped broccoli
¼ cup sliced black olives
2 teaspoons dry Italian herbs
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces low-fat Italian salad dressing (about 1 cup)
Directions
- Wash hands with soap and water.
- Rinse fresh vegetables under running water before preparing.
- Combine the cooked pasta, tomatoes, broccoli and black olives together in a bowl.
- Add the herbs, cheese and salad dressing. Stir together and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.
Photo and recipe adapted from Nutrition Matters.
Notes
- Try adding other vegetables such as corn, cucumber and avocado.
- Try whole-wheat pasta.
- Low-fat vinaigrette salad dressing also works in this recipe.
You might also like...
Kitchen Scraps Vegetable Broth
Kitchen Scraps Vegetable Broth
Use leftover veggie scraps to make a delicious broth to use in soups or cooking beans and grains!
Prepare:
15 minutes
Cook:
40 minutes
Makes:
6 to 12 cups
Chicken and Dumpling Casserole
Chicken and Dumpling Casserole
Simple yet comforting dumplings with chicken and vegetables are ready in less than an hour!
Prepare:
10 minutes
Cook:
30 minutes
Makes:
8 Cups
Prepare:
15 minutes
Makes:
10 cups
Ginger Almond Asparagus
Ginger Almond Asparagus
A healthy vegetable side dish that combines sauteed asparagus with crunchy almonds.
Prepare:
5 minutes
Cook:
10 minutes
Makes:
2 Cups
Couscous Salad
Couscous Salad
A light and colorful salad combining sweet cranberries, crunchy pecans and fresh vegetables with couscous pasta.
Prepare:
15 minutes
Makes:
5 cups
Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip
Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip
This peanut butter dip comes together in 5 minutes and is perfect with apples and celery.
Prepare:
5 minutes
Makes:
12 Tablespoons (¾ cup)


Comments
This Tomato Pasta Salad recipe makes a perfect quick and easy side dish! I have only gotten positive reviews on the flavor and the leftovers keep well in the fridge if you are making it the day before the event.
I seem to always have some kind of noodle at home and some Italian dressing somewhere in my fridge....thus this recipe is a super accessible one for me! For the rest of the ingredients, I add what I have on hand. This is one of my go-to packed lunches I make for myself -- for a couple of days at a time.
We substituted 2 cups of asparagus instead of the broccoli, and high school students loved it!