Pasta salad. The bowl of glorious ingredients that graces every summer picnic table from here to the southern hemisphere. We all make it and we all love it. However, I found that making  the same pasta salad over and over again using the same monotonous ingredients can get a tad, dare I say, “boring.”

So, on my wild goose chase for the perfect pasta salad, I came across this recipe for BLT ranch pasta salad. Now, I don’t know about you, but I love me some BLT sandwiches, and I also love ranch dressing. So, as you can probably imagine, this pasta salad recipe was a major hit with me. I anticipate that it’ll be a major hit with you as well.

Recipe courtesy of Pumpkin ‘n Spice.

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Quick Tip: Use your favorite dry Ranch dressing mixes such as Hidden Valley Ranch or Kraft. I sometimes mix up my own using herbs and my blender.

If you are hosting a dinner, this antipasto recipe will surely be a hit! Whether you would have old friends or new colleagues at home, there is no better way to catch up and mingle than to share a delicious meal. An antipasto or Italian appetizer usually has meats, anchovies, olives and cheeses, but your choices are endless.

This recipe is a great choice if your circle of friends or visitors love to occasionally drink wine.

 According to The Mediterranean Dish author Suzy, “You could change things up and use any number of ingredients that you like. For example, you can replace the prosciutto with salami or ham; and instead of fresh mozzarella, you can use any mild cubed cheese that you like. Simple!”

Recipe and photo courtesy of The Mediterranean Dish

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Who doesn’t love that char-grilled taste of food right off the bbq? This grilled pesto chicken and tomato kebabs are the perfect dinner idea for the budget-savvy cook. All you need is Perdue boneless skinless chicken breast, cherry tomatoes, and a handful of common ingredients for the homemade basil pesto sauce.

For an even simpler short-cut, you can purchase jar pesto sauce for an ultimate time-saver. Serve this flavorful dinner idea with a side salad, rice, or over pasta and your family and guests will love it!

Image courtesy of Skinnytaste

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It’s not often that you see a pasta salad with spaghetti, but now that I see it I think I should make it more often! This California spaghetti salad is loaded with color, flavor, and texture.

Packed with fresh veggies like cherry tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, and bell pepper, the colors are appealing and the fiber will fill you up. The zesty Italian dressing is the perfect finishing touch to this refreshing side dish or lighter lunch. Bring this to a potluck or any get together as it travels well and everyone will love it when it gets there!

Image courtesy of The Recipe Critic

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Quick Tip: Always cook your spaghetti noodles with a teaspoon or two of oil to keep them from sticking together.

Whether you’re a vegetarian, or not, this veggie recipe is delicious and inventive to anyone.  The lemon-yogurt dressing is light, but creamy and adds a citrusy zest to the entire dish.

This recipe serves 4 people and is only 300 calories, per serving, so dig in!  The dressing alone will have you wanting to toss it over everything.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Ezra Poundcake

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