Big Weather's Big Recipe: July 4 Pasta Salad

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The middle of summer is upon us and with the 4th of July next week, I thought I'd make a festive pasta salad you could take along to any cookout. Plus, it doesn't have mayo in it so you can let it set out a bit longer. Let's make some red, white, and blue pasta salad!

Ingredients

1 16oz package of rotini pasta

1 20oz package of refrigerated tortellini

1 12oz can of marinated artichoke hearts, with liquid, do not drain

1/2 pound of fresh broccoli florets

1 block of Monterey Jack cheese, cubed

1 6oz log of summer sausage, chopped

1 med red bell pepper, chopped

1 med red onion, chopped

2 2oz cans of sliced black olives, drained

4 garlic cloves chopped

2 packets of dry Italian Salad Dressing mix

1/2 cup of your favorite bottle of Italian dressing

Red and blue food coloring

Preparation

1. Cook both kinds of pasta according to the directions on the package along with the food coloring in the water. Drain and run under cold water to stop cooking. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, add artichokes, broccoli, cheese, summer sausage, peppers, onion, black olives, garlic, and salad dressing and mix together.

3. Add the pasta and mix together and put it in the refrigerator (overnight is best).

4. That's it. Enjoy!

A couple of notes. First, thank you to Sara Moulton for teaching me to peel garlic!!

After it sat for a bit, it was a little dry so I added an extra 1/2 cup of bottled Italian dressing and it really kicked it up a notch. Also, you could add some beans or sub them out for the summer sausage. Garbanzo or kidney would be pretty yummy. You do you!

Finally, use some gloves when adding the food coloring. Once of the bottles leaked and it took so much scrubbing to get it off my hands! Enjoy and we hope to see you at Dix Park or you can watch our broadcast on ABC11!