Summer Pasta Salad...Carb addict!!

My Summer Pasta Salad…different people have different addictions…mine is carbs (among a few others, but let’s not get into that now!!)…I can’t survive without carbs…I just cannot...I have tried and failed miserably each time…my salad meals need to have either bread or pasta or rice in them…this is one such meal

Summer Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• Shell shaped or Wagon wheel Pasta
• Tomatoes
• Spring onions
• Bell peppers, Red, Yellow and Green
• Sweet Corn, boiled
• Green or Black Olives (optional)

Dressing: 

(Specifying measurements to give an idea of proportion, adjust to taste and quantity) 

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 4 tbsp
• Balsamic Vinegar, 1 tbsp
• Lemon Juice, 1 tbsp
• Fresh Basil, chopped, 4 tbsp
• Fresh Garlic, crushed, 1
• Italian seasoning, ¾ tsp
• Parmesan cheese, 3 tbsp
• Sugar, ¼ tsp (if for dietary requirements you can’t use sugar add honey instead)
• Red chili flakes, ¼ tsp
• Crushed Black pepper, ¼ tsp
• Salt, to taste

Instructions:

Boil the pasta, drain and cool.

Wash and chop the veggies of your choice into bite size pieces

Mix all the ingredients from dressing in a small bowl and whisk until well blended.

Pour the dressing over the pasta and toss

Add the veggies and toss again.

Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Serve cold.

Notes:

• You can add bite size pieces of Mozzarella cheese or cooked chicken as well.

• If you want to add salad leaves, add them at the time of serving.