Classic Pasta Salad Recipe

Whenever I go to Whole Foods, I always find myself in the prepared foods section, where the salad bar, soups, and all the other ready to eat options are. I especially like their tuna and the pasta salad. Their Classic Deli Pasta salad has peas, crunchy carrots, celery, and onions, with lots of parsley, in a creamy dressing.

I wanted to recreate my own version based on the ingredients they use and here is what I came up with. If you eat just a half a cup portion as a side dish, it is 6 Weight Watchers Points Plus. It’s packed with veggies and makes a great dish to have alongside a sandwich, chicken, or whatever is for lunch or dinner this summer.

Check out some of the stars of the show.

Here is a picture I took of the Whole Foods version I love ever so much.

And here is mine.

Classic Pasta Salad Recipe

½ box (8 oz or ½ lb) medium shells (or pasta of your choice)

2 cups of frozen peas, defrosted

1 Carrot, peeled and diced

1 Celery stalk, diced

½ Red onion, diced

¼ cup Roasted red peppers, chopped

1 tbsp Parsley, chopped (plus additional for garnishing each serving)

Dressing:

¾ cup light mayo

1  tbsp mustard

2 tbsp Pickle relish

2 tbsp vinegar

1 tsp Sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed (around 8-10 minutes).

Drain and set aside until completely cool.

Measure out peas and dice and prepare carrot, celery stalk, red onion, and roasted red peppers.

In a separate bowl prepare dressing as noted above by combining ingredients and whisking until smooth.

Once pasta has cooled, mix in veggies and stir.

Then fold in dressing mixture and stir.

Sprinkle on parsley and mix. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour or better yet longer or even overnight. Stir when ready to serve and garnish each serving with additional chopped parsley.