I know it's Pasta, and there may not be very many of us at the stage of eating pasta occasionally, but this has become a pretty regular in our rotation. I also take it to some of my social functions like bunco or pokeno night with the other spouses around base.

2 cups of Dreamfield rotini pasta noodles

1 cup of Oikos or Fage non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt

3 Tbsp of Miracle Whip Lite

1/2-1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Fiesta Dip Mix (they make other varieties if the Fiesta blend does not appeal to your tastes, also add half and see if it needs more for your preferences)

1/2-3/4(per your preference) cup of fresh broccoli florets halved and rinsed thoroughly

1/2 of fresh carrots julienned or thinly sliced

1/4 cup of pimento(jars), drained and diced

Optional additions for different flavor profile:

Hard boiled eggs, diced and tossed in

5-7 strips of turkey bacon, cooked over medium heat until crispy, drained then chopped into small pieces and tossed in.

10-20 Turkey pepperonis quartered then tossed in

I like to add a little fresh lime zest and a couple of teaspoons of fresh lime juice.

Reduced fat Sargento PepperJack cheese, or Reduced Fat Shredded sharp cheddar

Directions:

Cook macaroni as directed on package.

Rinse with cold Water until chilled.

Add the next 3 ingredients, mix thoroughly.

Add fresh veggies, stir until well blended, cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. The longer this one sits, the better the flavors taste.

I kind of just figure out what is in my pantry, and toss stuff in until it looks good, or sounds good. This is a staple for our household, and a lot of potluck/socials that we attend. There's a lot of variations obviously.

Nutrition facts for entire base recipe with none of the additional/optional add ins:

1596 - Calories

67 - Carbs

12 - fat

75 - Protein

Thanks for posting this, Tiff! I used to eat those Betty Crocker Suddenly Pasta salads, the bacon ranch one, ALL the time. So this will be a nice change. And putting broccoli in there sounds great! Bookmarking it.

Sounds delicious! That will be something to look forward to trying.

Thanks Tiffkins, we tried your salisbury steak recipe last weekend, and really liked it. It just sounds weird adding pork rinds to ground round, but it worked! A new substitute for bread crumbs.

Thanks Tiffkins, we tried your salisbury steak recipe last weekend, and really liked it. It just sounds weird adding pork rinds to ground round, but it worked! A new substitute for bread crumbs.

I really dig pork rinds as a binder. The meatloaf I make is really well received. I'm not a huge fan, but even my kiddo has started liking it. The husband is addicted to it, and makes sandwiches with the leftovers.

Glad you liked the salisbury steak.

thanks Tiffy, i'll be sure to try it out!! don't know if i have all the ingredients, but i'll try to do it as complete as possible, i'll keep you posted.