Creamy Pasta Salad
It is a perfect dish, which you can prepare well ahead for a neighborhood party. This salad will taste delicious, if served with fried chicken.
Health wise the crisp vegetables will provide the vitamins and other essential nutrients to the body. Even the pasta itself is a source for vitamin B. As an alternative to ready made high-fat salad dressing, you may consider low-fat options, which you can prepare alongside the dish.
For 6 servings of the pasta salad recipe you will require following ingredients –
1 pound of corkscrew pasta or other short pasta
2 cups small broccoli flowers
2 and ¼ cups thinly sliced carrots
2 medium red or green bell peppers cut into thin strips
1 and ½ cups thinly sliced celery
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
For preparing the low-fat salad dressing at home you will require –
1 cup plain non-fat yogurt
½ cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried dillweed
First of all, you should cook the pasta as per the instruction on the package, without adding salt. You have to add carrots and broccoli pieces to the pot, just about 3 minutes before the pasta is done. Once done, drain the mixture and rinse under cold water and drain again.
In a large bowl, put bell peppers, celery and onion along with the pasta mixture and toss gently.
To prepare the low-fat salad dressing, take a medium sized bowl. Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, parsley, lemon juice and dillweed; then whisk properly.
Pour half part of this dressing over the salad mixture and toss again properly. Cover the salad bowl and put it into refrigerator to chill for at least an hour. The remaining half of the salad dressing should also be kept separately inside the refrigerator to chill. While serving the salad, you should use this reserved dressing for additional use.
For a quick non-fat dressing solution, you may use 1 cup of bottled non-fat Italian dressing and quarter cup of chopped parsley. Although you will not require to add salt as the dressing will have sufficient sodium content, however you may sprinkle a pinch of salt if required.
The above dish contains around 415 calories along with 73g of Carbohydrates, 15g of Protein, 188mg of Sodium, 8g of Fat and 9mg of Cholesterol per serving.
