We have late summers here in LA. Late August - October tend to be our hot months. This year with the fires and the heat, we found ourselves refraining from using the stove as little as possible. We don't turn the oven on again until midOctober.
Quite often I start dinner prep right after lunch. This is the perfect time to cook a pasta meal to have it cooled off enough by dinner time.
Here is one of our favorite Pasta Salads.
½ Ranch Dressing to taste - we always go light on dressing at our house
1 box (16 ounces) rotini (corkscrew) pasta
3 green onions, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup broccoli florets, steamed
1 red or green bell pepper, cut into small chunks
2 medium zucchini, cut into ¼-inch slices
1 package Pepperoni Slices Quartered
Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cool water and drain.
2. In a large bowl, combine the pasta and the remaining ingredients.
3. Add the dressing and toss until well coated.
4. Chill covered for 1 hour before serving.
