Loaded Pasta Salad

Featuring all four food groups the Loaded Pasta Salad is the perfect meal in itself. A unique combination of the classic pasta salad and an Amish broccoli salad, serve it as a complete stand alone meal or as a complimentary side. Smoky, sharp, tangy and creamy, it is a wonderful make ahead meal, perfect for the busy chef and absolutely awesome for a hot summer day. Pair this recipe with the All American Burger and some Steak Fries for a summer barbecue get together. All these tasty and delicious recipes can be found on 'Bake at Midnight'. Author of 'Bake at Midnight' really does bake at midnight, loving the peaceful and relaxing time of day. Judy, a widow and retired mechanical engineer loves to share her tips and recipes for cooking and entertaining. Check out her popsicles section! The Nutella fudgesicles and the strawberry creamsicles sound like a sweet solution to fight the hot summer heat. Start your day off with the Jazzberry Smoothie. Fitted for the rainy day is the beef barley soup. Not only does Judy have fabulous recipes for us two legged creatures, she also has numerous recipes to please our four legged companions. There are several dog biscuits recipes to choose from. For us, don't forget the Loaded Pasta Salad!

This delicious recipe is a great way to get lots of delicious and nutritious ingredients into your diet. The nice thing about having some pasta in your salad recipe is that it is more filling than just a plain salad might be. What better way to get some vegetables into your day than with a yummy salad, and this one is good as it has some broccoli, which if you didn't already know is one of the most healthy vegetable. Known as a cruciferous vegetable there are lots of nutritional benefits of eating the green vegetable. Broccoli is high in vitamin C and dietary fiber. Broccoli also contains several nutrients with strong anti cancer properties, such as diindolylmethane and small amounts of selenium. A single serving of broccoli provides more than 30 mg of vitamin C and a half cup provides 52 mg of vitamin C. Boiling broccoli reduces the levels of suspected anti carcinogenic compounds, such as sulforaphane.

Pasta has a long rich history and it is unclear exactly where it originated. Most often attributed to the Italians, it actually more likely it originated in China. Almost every country in the world has some form of pasta as it's staple. Orzo, perogi and spaetzle to name a few. Brought to North America by early Spanish settlers, it was Thomas Jefferson who helped to make it popular. Jefferson loved the macaroni he had while in France so much, that when he returned to the USA, he brought several cases back with him. Pasta as we know it in North America, is usually made with two types of flour. Durum wheat flour and Semolina. Durum wheat makes a softer pasta and is perfect for spaghetti and lasagna noodles. Semolina is a denser and less water absorbent pasta, making it best for el dente pastas such as macaroni or rotini that can be used in the Loaded Pasta Salad.