Spring Pasta Salad

This is probably going to be the shortest post on record. During our staff meeting on Tuesday, the marketing team asked what I was cooking and I said, “Nothing today.” Then, Kathleen, who collaborates with me on everything we post said, “We planned to have you cook today and post on Thursday!” Oops.

Luckily, we had already decided on a recipe, but I had not shopped and there were just a few of the ingredients in the kitchen that were needed to make it. A quick trip to the store at the end of the day for some pasta, fresh produce and Romano cheese and I was ready to cook the next morning.

I used Italian Trio pasta which is a combination of rotini, penne and shells. The lemony dressing is tangy and coats the vegetables nicely so you get a taste of it in every bite. The garnish of the shaved Romano adds a salty, nutty flavor which I really enjoyed.

The recipe calls for blanching the asparagus which is easy to do and really brings out its bright color.

You could make this a heartier salad by adding some cubed ham or shredded chicken. I think if you do add more ingredients, you may want to consider making extra dressing so the salad doesn't get too dry.