I’m going to start by saying the World Cup is ruining my life. I can’t seem to get away from it. If my television isn’t on a game, it is on ESPN.
Ok, so the World Cup is not really ruining my actual life, but my DVR watching life.
My son has managed to erase the entire contents and has recorded every soccer game since the World Cup began. Of course, I had no idea he had done this until I sat down with a little free time and watched to catch up on some recorded shows.
I almost never have time to watch a show when it is actually being broadcast, so that DVR captures everything I have missed.
So, I asked, “why do you need to record every game?”
My husband…it’s like the Olympics it only happens every 4 years. You don’t want to miss it!
Me…You are watching the same game you are recording!
Son…shrugs and says, “I might want to go back and watch it again if there were really good goals.”
Me…sigh
Since June 12th, three games have been recorded every day. My DVR is 85% full with nothing but soccer.
It’s not that I don’t enjoy soccer. My son has been playing since he was 5 years old.
It’s that I can’t remember what shows were so important that I recorded them! Haha
Thankfully, one thing I can always remember is a good recipe! This Southwestern Pasta Salad is one of those.
I’ve been making this for years, like at least 10 years. It is one of those salads you never get tired of and everyone always enjoys.
This Southwestern Pasta salad has great bold flavors from the dressing and ingredients. I particularly love the crunch of the bell peppers and the creaminess of the tortellini.
Depending on who I am serving to I alter the spiciness.
My kids don’t like anything spicy, so for them I make it mild.
But, if you like spicy then I use pepper jack cheese and a medium salsa.
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- 8 oz pasta orecchiette or shells
- 9 oz cheese tortellini
- 1 large orange bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
- ½ cup sliced black olives
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup salsa
- 1 Tbsp dried basil
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Toward the end of the pasta cooking time, add the tortellini to the pot to cook.
- Prepare dressing while pasta is cooking.
- Strain the pasta and tortellini, place in large bowl.
- Add bell pepper, tomatoes, corn, green onions, cheese, black olives. Pour dressing over mixture, stir to combine.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- In a bowl with high sides add garlic, salsa, seasonings, and vinegar.
- Using an immersion blender slowly add in the vegetable oil.
- Blend until combined.
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