Vegetable Pasta Salad

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not crazy about cold cream based salads. So when I made some a few weeks ago, I made it and put the bowl in the fridge so it would cool off and kept a bowl of warm pasta on the counter for me. I don’t need it real hot, I just like to eat it as soon as I add the hot pasta.

I’ve been craving artichokes lately so I made sure the other vegetables would work with those. Black olives, green beans, red beans, and the very last jar of roasted cherry tomatoes all work to balance the salty of the artichokes. I use Lindsay’s Naturals brand of olives because the brine water is not NEAR as salty as other cans.

Vegetable Pasta salad –6 WWP+/ serving. Makes 6 servings

What you need to have ready: big bowl for mixing, large stock pot for pasta

• 2.5 cups  of tri-color spiral pasta
• 1 large can of black olives, drained
• 1 can of quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 can of green beans, drained
• 1 can of red beans, rinsed and drained.
• 4-6 sliced grape or cherry tomatoes. I used frozen roasted tomatoes from last summer
• 1/4 cup  of Philadelphia Cooking Creme Pesto flavor
• 2 Tablespoons of vinegar oil based salad dressing (I used Newman’s Own light)
• 2 Tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan

1. Boil pasta according to directions.

2. Layer each can of vegetables in a large bowl

3. Add cooking creme and dressing

4. When pasta is finished cooking, drain but DO NOT RINSE. Pour over vegetables and let sit 5 minutes before tossing.

5. Toss and mix with creme and dressing. Sprinkle with parmesan. Serve immediately or place in refrigerator until serving time.