Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Pasta Salad

Does anyone else feel nostalgic when smelling/eating pasta salad??

It just reminds me of summers spent at my grandparents house growing up.

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My grandma would make THE BEST pasta salad and every time I eat it, I think of her.

She would make us anything we wanted because she loved to cook and could not sit still. I can vividly picture myself sitting in her kitchen with my brother.

After we were done, she was always double checking to make sure we ate enough and would ask “are you sure you like it?.” Like gram are you kidding! It’s the best food in the world. Then we would eat her famous chocolate chip cookies.

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It’s amazing how one meal can bring back so many precious memories. Do you have any meals that do that for you? 

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The other day I was brainstorming a dish to bring to a friends for dinner and POOF – pasta salad popped into my head. I accidentally made so much that I gave her leftovers and ate it for leftovers for FOUR days straight. It never gets old.

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Ingredients:

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• 1 package GF pasta – I like chickpea, lentil or brown rice pasta
• 1 bottle of @primalkitchenfoods creamy Italian dressing
• 1 can cooked chickpeas
• 1 green pepper (chopped)
• 1/2 red onion (diced)
• 1 small container cherry tomatoes (sliced)
• 1 green onion stalk (chopped)
• 1 cucumber (chopped) 
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (for a lil spice if ya want)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• sea salt + pepper (to taste preference)
• a handful or 2 of parsley

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1. Cook the pasta according to box instructions.
2. Meanwhile, chop all your veggies – green pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, green onion
3. Add all veggies and chickpeas together in a big bowl.
4. Add italian seasoning, paprika, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt and pepper and stir well.
5. Run pasta under cool water while draining and let cool a little. 
6. Then add the pasta and dressing to the big bowl and stir well

Makes: 8 servings