For the Love of Pasta Salad

I know, you don't have to tell me...PASTA,

Well to be fair, this recipe came about because I had left over sandwich meat and cheese that needed to get used before it went bad.  Another...create something new from something old.

Over the Christmas holidays, my family got together for Christmas Eve, and instead of doing the traditional ham dinner, we mixed it up and I created four GIANT sandwiches.  We did a take on a traditional baked Italian sandwich, a bake Ruben sandwich, a traditional cold cut and a baked Havarti, bacon and apple sandwich.  Needless to say, I bought way more cheese and sandwich meat then needed for the sandwiches.

So this easy 15 minute recipe came to mind when it was time to put together some of our leftovers (because I am over sandwiches for a while).

Pasta salad doesn't have to be something you image making only during the hot summer months, it is a creation that can be consumed year round!  And the different variations of what you put in a pasta salad or the type of pasta you use,  makes it unique because it can always be different.

For the leftover pasta salad dish, find the below ingredients and directions on making this quick side dish or light lunch option.

Ingredients:

• 1 box of Rotini Pasta
• 2 red bell peppers (switch it up and use green or yellow)
• 1 lb hard salami
• 1 lb provolone cheese
• 1/2 bottle of zesty Italian dressing

Directions:

1. Cook as directed on the box, the Rotini pasta
2. Drain and pour cold water over the pasta, so that when mixing the pasta with the rest of the ingredients the cheese doesn't melt
3. Dice up the salami, provolone cheese, and bell peppers
4. Before adding the Italian dressing, mix up all of the ingredients in a large bowl
5. Pour Italian dressing, and mix well
6. Package in an air tight container and refrigerate for at least one hour