Pasta Salad is one of my favorite dishes because you can serve it cold! And it goes with anything you pull off the BBQ!

I adore pasta salad and I think I have made it different almost every time. Why? Because it is the best way to use up extra diced bell peppers or olives that you have in the fridge.
I love that you can serve it as is, or add diced chicken or ham in it.

If you are rushed for time and just realized you don’t have anything planned for dinner, swing into Costco. You can pick up all the ingredients, including my favorite basil pesto, french bread, and even a rotisserie chicken to cut up. Really, this can be a side dish or actually star as the main course.

Really, this can be a side dish or actually star as the main course. I am leaning toward the main course! It is so easy to make and clean-up so why not?

If you have any left over trust me it will taste even better the following day. The flavors just meld together in a way that makes you want to hum a happy tune while cleaning up.
Since there isn’t any heavy sauce added, this is a great lighter fare.

For Farmer’s Market enthusiasts, this is also a great recipe to think of and if you are super ambitious to feel free to make your own pesto- see recipe below.

This is what Lauren from Tastes Beter From Scratch has to say about this summer salad classic.

I love adding homemade basil pesto to this recipe but it’s delicious with a high-quality store-bought pesto too. If you’re looking for a super fast and easy summer side dish that’s packed with flavor, this one is for you!

GO TO THE NEXT PAGE FOR INGREDIENTS AND DIRECTIONS.

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Quick Tip: Want to make your own Pesto? No problemo! If you are already going to the farmer’s market or if you happen to have a healthy basil plant you might as well whip this up.  Just put all the below ingredients into your food processor and puree.

1. 3 cups fresh basil leaves.
2. 3 cloves garlic.
3. ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated.
4. Splash of fresh lemon juice, more or less according to your taste buds.
5. About ½ cup olive oil (or oil of your choice)
6. Salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe and Photo courtesy of Laren of Tastes Better From Scratch

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So Amazing, My Family Won’t Know It is Good For Them!

When I saw that this was a healthy option for some of my favorite ingredients I had to check it out.

I am always trying to cut back on calories, but it seemed that the lower calorie options just didn’t have the same “wow” factor as the traditional sauce ingredients, I mean really, how can you improve on real butter?

This recipe has really brought together several awesome elements such as broccoli, pesto, and pasta to create a one dish meal! And you know what a one dish meal means? Less clean-up!

If you are trying to keep up with all the activities your family is involved in, having one less thing to stress over is enough to do the happy dance right there. In fact, go ahead. In your kitchen do the Electric Slide, Hustle, or a Jig. No judgment here

The best part is that this can be served hot or cold, so if you are planning a picnic in the park..try this out and see what others think.

This is what Heidi has to say about this recipe.

This is definitely one of those recipes where impulse vegetable ingredient additions or substitutions are welcome. Zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus, cauliflower, peas, corn, different styles or colors of peppers, and butternut squash would all make this recipe sing for our supper.

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Quick Tip: You can also bar-b-que the chicken before adding it to the pasta. So think about cooking enough chicken for more than one meal and putting some aside for later. Cook once, eat twice saves you time and money.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Heidi and Foodie Crush.

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