Summer Pasta Broccoli Salad

From the 2011 Pasta Extravaganza Contest

This easy pasta salad packs a crunchy punch. The Summer Pasta Broccoli Salad combines the crunchiness of crumbled bacon and broccoli plus onions to get your mouth watering. With only a twenty minute prep time it’s the perfect pasta salad for last minute gatherings or families on the go.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 box Dreamfields Rotini
1 cup mayonnaise (light or regular)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups chopped, raw broccoli (about 1-inch pieces)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup crumbled, cooked bacon
1/4 cup diced red onion or sliced green onion

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water until completely cooled; drain again. Place in large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, for dressing, in small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar; set aside.
3. Add broccoli, cheese, sunflower seeds, bacon and onion to pasta. Toss to combine. Add dressing; toss until coated. Refrigerate, covered, until chilled, at least 1 hour. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 8-10 side dish servings.

Nutrition information (1/8 of recipe): 431 calories; 15 g protein; 17 g digestible carbohydrates*; 22 g total fat; 6 g saturated fat; 35 mg cholesterol; 352 mg sodium; 6 g total dietary fiber.

*If traditional pasta is used in this recipe there is a total of 47 g carbohydrate. For more information go to www.DreamfieldsFoods.com.

This entry was posted by Recipe Guru on Thursday, May 3rd, 2012 at 2:55 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.