A friend recently brought a boxed pasta salad to one of our BBQs and everyone loved it! As you all know I like my homemades, so I made this one from scratch with healthier options included! I have now made it for BBQs and it is friend and BBQ tested and approved! Please feel free to alter and add ingredients to fit your taste!
For a medium salad, 4-6 people, I used:
-1/2 box of mini shells, I used Barilla rich in fiber-white, which has whole grains and 6 gm of dietary fiber.
-3/4 cup of coarse shredded carrots. I shredded mine but I believe you can buy them shredded.
-3/4 frozen peas
-3/4 cup mayo, olive oil
-1 pkg of Uncle Dan's classic salad dressing mix
-1/3- 1/2 c bacon bits depending on how much you like bacon. I made my own again, but you can buy them as well.
grape or cherry tomatoes cut in half.
-Lawry's Chile and Garlic Seasoning Blend to taste. This gives it the smoky taste.
In a med- lrg pot, cook shells according to box until almost done. Then add your carrots and peas bring to a boil for another minute. Meanwhile cut 6-10 pieces of bacon, depending on thickness I used 8 thick cut pieces, into slivers and cook over med-low heat until crisp. Drain on a paper towel until ready to serve pasta. Mix mayo and Uncle Dan's in a small bowl. Once pasta is done place in a colander and rinse with cold water to cool. Drain well place an a large bowl for mixing. At this point you can add some of the bacon drippings for flavor and to keep the shells from becoming sticky, or add a couple tblsp of olive oil. Add the dressing and season with Lawry's to taste. I wait until right before I serve the salad to add the tomatoes and bacon bits to keep them crisp.
There is it! If you make it ahead of time add a little more mayo to moisten it up, or ranch if you have it on hand, right before serving. Enjoy!
