Creamy Pasta Salad

ByEmily Updated on Everyday, Food & Drink
Creamy Pasta Salad 3

This is one of my family’s very favorite side dishes. We eat this as a tasty side to a roast chicken or ribs, or even as a meal by itself!

 

Creamy Pasta Salad
 
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Recipe type: Main Dish, Side Dish
Ingredients
  • ½ box shaped pasta
  • 1 head of broccoli, chopped
  • 
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
  • ½ pkg mini pepperonis (regular size is ok, too)
  • 
8 Monterey Jack cheese sticks (snack sticks) cut into chunks (you can use any kind of cheese, but we always have these around, and it is easy to just slice them up!)
  • 
3 medium carrots, chopped
  • 
Ranch dressing (We use the packet to make our own...much better tasting)
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta according to directions on the box. Drain it.
  2. Place colander with drained pasta into a bowl with ice and water in it to cool it off.
  3. Put all the rest of the ingredients, except the ranch dressing into a bowl.
 Pour the cooled pasta onto a clean towel and really dry it off.
  4. Pour pasta into the bowl
. Stir in the ranch as you like it. A little, a lot—there's no exact science to it. This goes great with any BBQ'd food, or even as a meal by itself!