Simple Pasta Salad

We love the boxed Suddenly Salad, there's nothing wrong with it and it's easy to make, everyone loves it.  However at the store it was $3.99 a box (Fry's) and we needed 2 boxes for a book club meeting.  So we came up with a copycat recipe.  We made it our own and it turned out pretty darn good!  You can add what you want to yours, but here is a simple recipe to get you started.  BTW, I since found Suddenly Salad at Walmart for $1.69 a box, much better, not sure why it was so high at Fry's...  We will make this recipe lots because it's super simple and economical and great side dish for BBQ's, potlucks, etc.

BTW, everyone at the book club (ages 6-12) ate it up, we had no leftovers!


Simple Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 box pasta (14-16 oz) (we used tri-colored rotini)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (we used regular but you might get away with lowfat)
• 1 packet of Good Seasons Italian recipe mix (located by the salad dressings at the store)
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup bacon bits
• 1 tsp salt (we like kosher)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese (we like it cubed, but you can use shredded if desired)

Cook pasta according to directions.  In a mixing bowl, add the mayo, the seasoning mix, the bell pepper.  Mix well.  Once the pasta is done, add it to the mayo mix, add the bell pepper, mix well.  Let cool completely before adding the cheese otherwise it will melt (we made this mistake).  It was still very tasty though. 

Here's what you need:

Boil some water for the pasta

Boil according to package instructions

In a mixing large bowl, add mayo

Seasoning packet

red bell pepper

bacon bits or real bacon

After mixing well, drain the pasta and add to the mayo mix

Mix well and once it's cooled add the cheese

Store in fridge til ready to serve!