Delight your taste buds with a colorful spring pasta salad. Made with fresh ingredients and ready in under 20 minutes, it's the perfect dish for any occasion.
1-2cups salad dressingwe used half Caesar Italian and ranch dressing
Instructions
Begin by cooking the noodles according to the instructions on the package. While the noodles are cooking, proceed to the next steps.
While waiting for the noodles to cook, cut the ham and cheese into bite-sized pieces. Set them aside for later use.
Once the noodles are cooked, drain them and rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool them down. Transfer the noodles to a large bowl.
Stir in the frozen vegetables with the cooked noodles. Allow the vegetables to thaw for about five minutes in the warmth of the pasta.
Add the previously prepared ham and cheese pieces to the pasta salad mix. Mix everything together until well combined.
Pour in the salad dressing, starting with ½ cup of Caesar Italian dressing and ½ cup of ranch dressing. Stir the salad well to distribute the dressing evenly. Add more salad dressing if desired, adjusting to taste.
Serve the pasta salad immediately or cover it and store it in the refrigerator. The salad can be kept for up to two days. If storing, you may need to add additional salad dressing before serving, as the noodles tend to absorb some of the dressing over time.
Notes
What Type of Noodles Do I Use?Wheat NoodlesThere are several types of fun noodles you can use for this recipe. All of these are naturally dyed pastas. Some of our favorites are: * Barilla Tri Color Rotini pasta * Wacky Mac * Shaped Pasta--dinosaurs, farm animals, cartoon characters, etc. * Torino Farfalline Pasta (pictured in recipe--we found ours at Target)What Salad Dressings to Use?There are several salad dressings we use but we mix a Caesar Italian and Ranch dressing. You can choose whatever dressing you like but these have always been our favorite flavors.Ranch Dressing:Hidden Valley Ranch Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing (Dairy Free, Vegan)Caesar Italian:Fody Foods Caesar Italian Dressing (Dairy Free, FODMAP friendly, Vegan) Bernstein Light Fantastic Cheese Fantastico