As a Trader Joe's fanatic, I love discovering their new items and incorporating them into my recipes. During one of my weekly visits to the store, I browsed the lettuce section to make a salad and I began looking at their dressings. One caught my eye immediately, which was the Cilantro Dressing, which was tucked right next to the vegan ranch dressing (I'm sorry but bleh š). Upon picking it up, I had no idea this dressing would truly change the salad game for me, and it has forever! I immediately abandoned my plans of making a salad and instead started gathering ingredients for another dish I love so much: pasta salad.
Pasta Salad is truly one of the easiest yet most refreshing dishes to make year-round. It is a summer staple for me, and my older sister requests this dish from me for all her dinner and BBQ parties. It's light, simple, and takes a mere few minutes. My choice of toppings is incredibly limited, mushrooms and mozzarella balls. I sometimes add croutons for an added crunch, but I dont overdo it. The star of the show is the cilantro dressing, and I let it shine!
Add your own twist with more toppings like olives, cherry tomatoes, or spinach. No matter what, it's a refreshing appetizer or a side dish that will be quickly devoured!
Trader Joe's Pasta Salad
Prep time: 5 mins Chill time: 30mins-1hour
Ingredients:
1 bag or 1 box (12 0z) of tricolored pasta
8oz container of mozzarella balls
10-15 mushroom pieces, sliced not chopped
1 bottle of Trader Joe's Cilantro Sauce
a sprinkle of salt
a sprinkle of red pepper
Steps:
Boil about 6-7 cups of water, add a sprinkle of salt and red pepper.
Add pasta and cook for about 8 mins.
Once cooked, drain and keep the pasta off to the side to cool at room temp. The key is to not mix this dressing and mozzarella balls with warm pasta, causing the cheese to melt and the dressing to split.
Slice the mushrooms, and set aside. Prep any other toppings at this time while the pasta is cooling.
Add pasta to a large bowl, and mix in all your toppings. Add the dressing and mix well. Add mozzarella balls and gently mix.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate.
Bon Appetit!
Comments