Pasta salad

Holly Nilsson presents this pasta salad as a make-ahead side for potlucks and picnics. This account follows her rotini, red-onion and feta preparation with supplied bottled Italian dressing and the selected optional black olives.

The rotini boils in salted water until firm, then drains and rinses under cold water. English cucumber, grape tomatoes, bell pepper and red onion are chopped for the salad.

The cooked and cooled pasta is tossed with those vegetables, the Italian dressing, the selected olives and fresh parsley. Salt and black pepper season the mixture, and crumbled feta is stirred in gently.

The assembled salad is kept refrigerated until ready to serve, giving this selected presentation a chilled serving temperature while the flavours blend and the pasta absorbs dressing. The author recommends another small addition of the same dressing before serving if needed.

Crisp vegetables contrast with firm pasta and crumbly cheese, while Italian dressing and feta give a tangy, salty flavour. Other pasta shapes, cheeses, onion choices, proteins and the separately supplied homemade-dressing instructions are alternatives.