Summer Fresh: My Sensation Pasta Salad Recipe

Ingredients

For the Salad:

• 1# rotini, boiled 11 minutes and rinsed with cold water
• 2 mini cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
• 1/2 c. mixed and chopped red, orange and yellow bell pepper
• 1/3 c. chopped Kalamata olives
• 1/3 c. seeded and chopped pepperoncini

For the Sensation Salad Dressing:

• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1/2 c. canola oil
• 1 T. fresh, minced garlic
• 3 T. fresh lemon juice
• 1 t. oregano leaves, not ground
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 t. ground black pepper
• 1/2 c. grated parmesan or Romano cheese
• 2 T. flat Italian parsley, chopped

The original salad dressing recipe calls for Romano cheese but I used what I keep on hand. I also substituted 2 t. dried parsley.

Instructions

1. Prepare the Pasta:
   • Boil the rotini for 11 minutes.
   • Rinse with cold water.
2. Prepare the Vegetables:
   • Peel, seed, and dice the mini cucumbers.
   • Seed and dice the Roma tomatoes.
   • Chop the walnuts.
   • Dice the mixed bell peppers.
   • Chop the Kalamata olives.
   • Seed and chop the pepperoncini.
3. Make the Dressing:
   • Blend or process the olive oil, canola oil, fresh minced garlic, fresh lemon juice, oregano leaves, salt, ground black pepper, grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, and flat Italian parsley for 1 minute.
4. Gather the Salad

• To a large bowl, add the cooked rotini, tomatoes, cucumbers, walnuts, bell peppers, olives, and pepperoncini.
• Spoon the salad with 8 ounces of the Sensation Salad Dressing, then toss.