Any good & different pasta salad recipes?

I make pasta with veggies %26amp; either ranch dressing or italian dressing...looking for something different %26amp; interesting to try.Any good %26amp; different pasta salad recipes?
Here is a recipe we like for macaroni salad:





1 pkg. of pasta, cooked and well drained


seasoned salt to taste


cracked black pepper to taste


couple of shakes of garlic powder


1 small onion, finely chopped


2 - 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped


1 small green pepper (you can use jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped, if you like food a little spicy)


two or three shakes of Mrs. Dash (I use the table blend)


small can of black olives


mayonnaise and/or sour cream (depending on how many you want to serve, the pasta should be lightly coated and not swimming in this).


If you like, you can also add finely chopped ham, chicken or pepperoni.





Combine all ingredients except the pasta and boiled eggs. Add them last and very lightly toss to blend all flavors together. Chill for at least 4 - 6 hours, or overnight, if you have time.Any good %26amp; different pasta salad recipes?
I like poppy seed dressing on pasta salad, kind of creamy, but tangy similar to italian. This Basil Parmesan Vinaigrette is very good too.





Ingredients


Vinaigrette:


2 fresh lemons ( the juice from)


1/3 cup apple cider vinegar


3 garlic cloves, minced


1 teaspoon Dijon mustard


3 tablespoons chopped chives


1/2 packed cup fresh basil leaves, chopped


1/2 cup grated Parmesan


2 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil


Freshly ground pepper





Mix together, if you have a blender, great, if you don't mixing the ingredients with a hand mixer works just as well.
Here are my two I make:





1 bag white spiral pasta


1/2 can sweetened condensed milk


1 cup miracle whip


2 carrots; shredded


1 small onion; diced


1 small green pepper; diced.





Cook pasta, drain and rinse. Add the rest and chill 3 hours.











Here is another one:





1 bag multi colored spiral pasta


1 bag pepperoni; sliced in half


1 small can sliced black olives; drained and rinse.


1 bag (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese


1 large bottle Zesty Italian (only zesty)





Cook pasta, drain and rinse. Add the rest of the ingredients and chill about 3 hours.
Five Steps to Perfect Pasta Salad





Pam's formula:





Step 1. Pasta





Step 2. Key ingredients





Step 3. Intense flavors





Step 4. Onions %26amp; herbs





Step 5. Dressing





I teach cooking classes across the country, and as often as a possible, I demonstrate pasta salad. Why? Because people make it all the time. (When's the last time you attended a potluck that didn't have a pasta salad?) But rarely do these sturdy, colorful, economical salads taste as good as they look. They can be dry, bland, oily, sharp or uninteresting.





For a stunning, irresistible pasta salad, follow the five steps I've outlined here. If you're nervous about making your own salad, simply pretend you're at a salad bar. Be creative with ingredients you like to eat, but use a little common sense. When making an Asian-style salad, for example, use typical stir-fry ingredients such as celery and bell peppers.





Using this formula as a guide, you'll create beautiful pasta salads that will have people asking for your recipe. The proportions given make enough to serve as a side dish to 12 to 16 people.








Step 1:


Cook 1 pound of pasta. Select a 16-ounce box or bag of bite-size pasta. I recommend farfalle (bow ties), fusilli (corkscrews), penne, ziti, rotelle (wagon wheels), macaroni or small shells. Cook the pasta in a gallon of boiling water seasoned with 2 tablespoons of salt (that's right, 2 tablespoons!) until just tender. Drain but do not rinse the pasta. Instead, dump it onto a large-lipped cookie sheet to cool and dry. Don't worry if the pasta sticks together. The dressing will break it up.








Step 2:


Prepare 2 pounds of key ingredients. These are the salad's major add-ins: cooked and raw vegetables, poultry, seafood, canned beans and mild cheeses, for example. Some need little or no preparation before going into the salad. Others can be cooked in the pot of water along with the pasta. Still others are best sauteed or grilled. Choose at least 3 major flavorings. It's good to let one ingredient lead (for example, 1 pound of asparagus with 8 ounces each of sliced mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, for a total of 2 pounds).





Options for cooked vegetables


These can cook right along with the pasta in the pot of boiling water. Add them to the cooking pasta during the last minute of boiling. Drain and cool them with the pasta for that just-right, tender-crisp texture.





Broccoli or cauliflower, florets cut into bite-size pieces, stems peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick coins


Asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-size lengths


Carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch coins


Green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-size lengths


Snow peas or sugar snap peas, strings removed


Zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced 1/4-inch thick


Options for no-fuss vegetables





Canned artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and quartered


Bean sprouts


Celery, sliced 1/4-inch thick


Mushrooms, thinly sliced


Cucumbers, quartered lengthwise, cut into bite-size pieces and lightly salted


Fennel, trimmed, halved, cored and thinly sliced


Avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces (add at last minute to prevent darkening)


Zucchini, halved lengthwise if small, quartered lengthwise if large, then thinly sliced


Cherry tomatoes, halved and lightly salted


Bell peppers, cored and cut into bite-size strips


Tomatoes, seeded and cut into medium dice and lightly salted


Frozen green peas, thawed


Options for grilled or broiled vegetables





All of these vegetables should be brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper before grilling or broiling.








Eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds; cut into bite-size pieces after grilling


Fennel, trimmed, halved, core left intact, and cut into wedges; cut away tough core after grilling


Large whole mushrooms; slice or quarter after grilling


Bell peppers, cored, seeded and quartered; cut into bite-size pieces after grilling


Zucchini, cut on the diagonal into slices 1/2-inch thick


Options for sauteed vegetables





Asian-style salads taste best with lightly sauteed vegetables, particularly celery and peppers.








Celery, sliced 1/4-inch thick


Bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into bite-size strips


Options for other major add-ins





Canned beans, drained and rinsed


Chicken breasts, grilled, sauteed or steamed and cut crosswise into thin bite-size strips


Italian sausage, steam-sauteed and sliced thin on a slight bias


Cooked lobster


Cooked and peeled shrimp


Canned tuna, drained


Mild cheeses (e.g., mozzarella, cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack), cut into 1/2-inch cubes


Crabmeat (pasteurized lump), picked over for shell


Ham, sliced 1/4-inch thick and cut into bite-size strips





Step 3:


Choose intense flavors. Stronger- tasting than the major add-ins, these ingredients should be used more sparingly. Pick at least one representative from this category, but feel free to use two or three--roasted peppers, pine nuts and feta cheese, for examp