Eat Well LiveWell: Pasta Salad

The base of this recipe is whole wheat pasta, which provides fiber and protein. Adding vegetables serves as a nutritious crunch in this recipe, also providing different vitamins and minerals. The added benefit of vegetables is that they are fiber-rich and low in calories, which means you can have more of this pasta salad for fewer calories than the traditional recipe! Adding herbs and salty treats – like black olives, parmesan cheese and pepperoni – only adds to the flavor in this salad. Enjoy a scoop as your side dish or serve as a main course

Pasta Salad

Servings: 8
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cook time: 10 minute

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 ounce) package uncooked, whole wheat rotini pasta
• ½ cup pepperoni, diced
• 6 ounces provolone cheese, cubed
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
• ¾ cup chopped green bell pepper
• ¾ cup chopped red bell pepper
• ½ cup black olives, pitted
• ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dry basil
• 1 teaspoon dry oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground mustard seed
• Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add rotini pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
2. In a large bowl, mix the cooled pasta, pepperoni, provolone cheese, red onion, cucumber, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, olives, parsley and Parmesan cheese.
3. In a jar with a lid, mix the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, oregano, ground mustard, salt and pepper. Seal jar, and shake well.
4. Pour the dressing mixture over the pasta salad, and toss to coat. Cover, and chill 8 hours in the refrigerator.

Nutritional Information:

300 Calories, 13g Protein, 17g Fat, 25g Carbohydrates, 3g Fiber, 404mg Sodium