A long time ago, I used to work in a government setting. I learned a lot about people when I did that, but more importantly, I learned a lot about food. Especially pot lucks. I am pretty sure my weight gain in my early twenties came from all the pot luck lunches we had in the office I worked in! But if you really want to learn about how to make great dishes to take to a pot luck, surround yourself with a bunch of ladies that work in an office. I will probably whip out some more as I go along because I have so many!
Now the challenge with these recipes is to make them healthier. Healthy was never on the menu at these pot luck lunches. We had a reputation to uphold for goodness sake! But, as luck would have it, I have finally mastered one of my favorite pot luck dishes from those years.
Peggie’s Pasta Salad.
Peggie could cook like nobody’s business. I was never a fan of pasta salad until I had hers. She told me some of her secrets, and of course, I have added a few of my own. I hope you enjoy.
Note for busy Moms: the recipe says to let it stand for an hour. This just gives you more flavor, but it is not necessary if you don’t have an hour. Just stir it up and serve!
- 1 pkg. Gluten Free Garden Spiral noodles
- 1 head of Broccoli and/or cauliflower
- 1 Zucchini, cut in half and slice
- 1 Green pepper, chopped
- ½ Red or sweet onion, chopped
- 1 can sliced water chestnuts
- 1 pint sliced mushrooms
- 1 small can of black olives
- 4 Roma tomatoes, cut in quarters and sliced
- ½ package of shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 cup gluten free bread crumbs (I used Glutino)
- 1 bottle Italian dressing - I used Newman's Own Family Italian
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water, drain and rinse well with cold water and drain well.
- Layer pasta in bottom of very large salad bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sprinkle liberally with bread crumbs.
- Layer small pieces of a bunch of broccoli, even thinly sliced pieces of the more tender part of the stem.
- Layer zucchini.
- Layer green pepper pieces.
- Layer red onion or sweet onion
- Layer 1 can drained sliced water chestnuts.
- Layer sliced mushrooms
- Layer black olives
- Layer roma tomatoes, cut in quarters and sliced.
- Sprinkle Monterey Jack cheese.
- Pour the dressing over the salad, rinse the bottle with about ¼ cup white vinegar and pour over salad.
- Lastly, sprinkle liberally with Parmesan cheese, cover and let set in refrigerator for at least an hour, stir when ready to serve.
