Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad

One morning this winter my friend Kim called me and said,

“I had the best idea when I was in the shower this morning.”

And we all know the the best ideas are born in the shower.

“You should try out for the Next Food Network Star as Skinny Mommy!”, she exclaimed.

Hmm. I do love the Next Food Network Star.

I thought for about three seconds before I reminded myself…

I don’t even know how to roast a chicken, clean a fish, or make a meatloaf. And my knife skills?
 
Beyond embarrassing.

Kim with my little guy

So the Next Food Network Star dream was quickly tossed to the wind.

But it did inspire me to take a knife skills class. (Last week.) I was kind of the worst one in the class. Okay, I was the worst one in the class.

It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, right?  But I eventually got the hang of it.

I made this Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad with the “fancy cut” cucumbers from the class to bring on the boat for an evening ride with the boys and some friends.

Beyond easy –and I called it “Kitchen Sink” because you can add in anything but the kitchen sink.

Here’s What You Need:
½ box of penne, cooked according to package directions al dente
Low-fat Cesar dressing
Olives (about ½ a can)
1 small cucumber, sliced fancy or not fancy
Artichoke hearts in water, quartered (about ½-3/4 can)
Cherry tomatoes, halved (A large handful)
Salt and Pepper
Other ideas: Spinach, parmesan

Here’s What You Do:
Toss all the veggies into the pasta and add in the crumbled or cubed feta. Cover with Cesar dressing. Season generously with salt and pepper and serve warm, room temperature or cold.
(I had this the  next day and added in fresh baby spinach and parmesan-yum!)

Kid Tip:
My kids are not a fan of pasta salads, so I warmed up the noodles with the dressing and feta, and added some parmesan. I kept the cucumbers to the side for them and left out the other veggies.

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