Ingredients:
Broccoli
1 box of Rigatoni
Cherry tomatoes
Pasta noodles
Red onion
Supreme salad seasoning by McCormick
Cheddar cheese preferably shredded
Monterey jack cheese cubed
Italian salad dressing
Balsamic vinaigrette dressing
Cucumbers peeled and chopped
Pepperoni slices optional
Fresh parsley
Fresh basil or dried
Shock your pasta and do not over cook your pasta It's important to cook the pasta until it is al dente and shock it afterwards. You do not want to add your pasta while it's warm. It's important to let it cool first but not for too long because the pasta will stick together. Pasta tends to get gummy if you add it in while warm and will soak up the dressing, it is best to place the pasta in a strainer and give it an ice bath. If adding red onion, rinse it and soak it in the dressing Red onions can be powerful and take over the dish. One of the ways I combat this is by rinsing my chopped red onion first and then soaking for a few minutes in the salad dressing. This way it does not overpower the dish.
Directions:
Boil the rigatoni noodles until they are al dente. Strain them add them to a bowl. Steam your broccoli until it develops some color. Do not let it cook for too long because it will become mushy. You want your broccoli to have a crunch to it, so do not cook it all the way. Steam the broccoli for about 10 minutes With the lid on. Slice your cucumbers and peel them also if you’d like. Chop some red bell pepper and dice some red onion. Red onion can be very overpowering, so I suggest half of a red onion would do the trick for one big bowl. Add your shredded cheddar cheese and your cubed Monterey Jack cheese. You can buy the cheese slices and cut them into squares. Once your pasta has cooled and your broccoli has cooled add them together into a bowl. Next add all of the other ingredients and mix them. Next add in half a bottle of McCormick supreme salad seasoning. Or however much you'd like. Remember we’re making a huge bowl of pasta salad. Lastly you’re going to add your two dressings. Add in the entire bottle of Italian salad dressing and half of the bottle of the balsamic vinegarette. Last top with a little parsley and your pasta salad is ready to be served. This pasta salad is best served cold.