Mary's Pasta Salad

Oh boy, is this an old post!! This was a pasta salad that Brian had made, about a year ago-- it took me that long to get the recipe from him! I'm glad I did, because now I can carry on the recipe myself. It was sent to him by his mom, Mary, whom I adore-- I am so glad that she was willing to pass on some of her recipes so I can share them with everyone!

The trick with this pasta salad is that the dressing is a little vinegary-- which I thought would be weird at first, but honestly turned out to be quite delicious (I'm so lucky to have been able to try it!!). It melds really well with the broccoli, carrots, olives.... I especially loved the olives, tomatoes, and cubes of cheese. The chicken that Brian had used was a precooked lemon chicken breast, I believe, and the lemon to the chicken provided a really nice combination of flavours.

This recipe makes a huuuge portion, we ate it for like a week! So next time I make it I know that I'll be able to eat it for basically forever. It seems like such a great dish to take to a family potluck or picnic or something-- and I can't wait to make it again. Now all I need is to get their grasshopper pie recipe. :)
Mary's Pasta Salad
Recipe by Mary Retchless

Dressing

1/3 Cup Olive Oil
½ Cup White Wine Vinegar (or up to 2/3 Cup if you like a stronger vinegar taste)
1 Tbs. Dijon Mustard
1 tsp. Sea Salt
1 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 Cloves Garlic minced or crushed
2 tsp. Basil Leaves

Combine all and whisk together

Salad

2 Cups Broccoli Flowerets (boil in water 2 minutes, remove and rinse under cold water)
1 Cup Chopped Carrots (boil in water 2 minutes, remove and rinse under cold water)
½ Red Bell Pepper, sliced thin into 1” long strips
4 Scallions chopped with green ends included
2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes
¼ Cup Cilantro chopped
1 Cup sliced black olives
1 Cup Monterey Jack Cheese, cubed
Grilled Chicken Breast, cut into small bite-sized pieces
1 16oz pkg. of Tri-Color or Whole Wheat Rotini Pasta, cooked el dente and rinsed with cold water.

Combine all the above ingredients. Pour in dressing. Toss thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.