Make it a Pasta Salad Night

In recent years pasta salads have taken center stage on salad bars everywhere. People are bringing them to potluck dinners, creating them for family reunions and ordering them in their favorite restaurants. Why not create your own pasta salad for the dinner table at home? It's easy and even better, they are delicious.

Pasta comes in many shapes, sizes and colors these days. From angel hair pasta to spaghetti and elbow macaroni to tiny shells, pasta has claimed its place on the grocery shelves. Pasta comes in so many different varieties it might be hard to decide which one to use.

Here are a few examples to help get you started, but

One favorite pasta salad that has been around for years at picnics and family reunions is macaroni salad. It can be made in many different varieties. With a little mayonnaise, mustard, dill, sweet pickles and even hard boiled eggs you can make macaroni salad in no time. Add onion or even cubes of cheese to give it your own personal touch.

Tired of those mashed potatoes or rice dishes every night? Why not make a pasta salad in their place. Pasta salads make great side dishes. They go well with pork, beef, chicken and fish. Everyone will enjoy the change.

When making pasta salad, remember to cool the pasta before adding any vegetables or dressings. Fresh or frozen vegetables can be added to these great creations. For the dressings most pasta salads are made with Italian or Ranch dressing but you can always use your favorite to see how it tastes.

Pasta salads are a great take along for a potluck dinner or family picnic. These salads are simple to make but taste great. Shrimp works well in a salad of this type. Orzo or Tabbouleh make wonderful bases for picnic style salads.

Orzo and Tabbouleh are a type of pasta that resembles rice grains. These types of pasta can be used to create warm or cold salads that will stretch to feed a crowd.

Pasta salads can be quite healthy also. Use wheat pasta, add fresh vegetables and a low calorie or low fat dressing. It will taste so good no one will even realize just how healthy it is.

Pasta salads are easy to make and the possibilities are endless. Start with your favorite pasta as the base line. Add your favorite vegetables, nuts or other favorite ingredients and a dressing. Before you know it you will have a salad that everybody wants the recipe for.

Pasta salad is a dish that anyone can create. There are plenty of pasta salad recipes that we already know and love. Mix up the menu a bit and add pasta salad as a side dish or main dish every once in a while.