Summer Pasta Salad

I love summer but the heat and humidity can often mess with my appetite.  Sometimes I don't feel hungry when I should be and other times I am super picky about what I'm in the mood for.  Usually I want something refreshing which is fine if I'm craving sweet but a little more challenging if I need a savory taste.  The thought of having something hot or fried can make my stomach turn.
So this summer, I've revamped a pasta salad that my best friend and I used to make last year to satisfy our hunger and palate on those swampy days.




Summer Pasta Salad

Cook 3 cups of pasta (I prefer bowties): this makes enough for 4-6 servings
Dice the following vegetables:

• Half of a red bell pepper
• Half of an orange bell pepper
• 1 yellow zucchini
• 1 green zucchini
• half of a red onion

You can used whatever veggies you like raw.  I chose mine for a variety of texture and color.
After you drain the pasta, rinse with cold water to cool it down.  You can let it cool down in the fridge but toss it in olive oil first so that it won't stick.
Mix the cooled pasta and diced veggies together.
Season with salt and pepper.  Adding some chopped parsley gives the salad a nice zing.  Sprinkle in some grated parmesan cheese for a robust flavor.
The last thing you need to do is to mix in a dressing of your choice.  I used Kraft's Italian dressing.  I'm sure any oil and vinegar based dressing will work well.  I suppose you could use ranch or something like that, but creamy dressings usually don't appeal to me as 'refreshing.'

My boyfriend really like this pasta salad a lot and even had a second helping.  One of his buds came over for dinner and seemed to enjoy it a lot.
I love it because it's super easy and tasty!