another summer pasta salad...

...or, as we say up here in Boston: "anutha summah paster salad".
But seriously, I love pasta salads in the summer. They are a great way to mix up a bunch of stuff you might not normally put together.
Like in this one.
It's a totally random mix of ingredients, but it was sooo yummy!

Oh, and pasta salad is also a great dish to bring to a summer party or cookout. Because who doesn't love pasta salad??
Anyways, there are 2 main types of salads: mayonnaise based ones, and non-mayonnaise based ones. And while I do prefer the mayonnaise-based kind, I do like some variety.
So this one is an Italian dressing based salad, Hope you like it!

Ingredients: pasta (small shells), Italian dressing, onion, roasted red peppers, capers, summer squash, zucchini, banana pepper, and fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Step one: boil the pasta.
I think we all know how to do this.

Step two: chop up all the veggies while the pasta is cooking, grate the cheese, drain some capers, then put everything into a large bowl.

Step three: drain the pasta when it's done, and rinse it in cold water.
Now, I know I Always say you should Not Rinse your pasta, which you shouldn't, but for cold pasta salads I like to. a.) so that it cools down quickly, and b.) so that its not super-starchy.

Step four: Mix the pasta with the veggies, then drizzle your favorite Italian dressing over it until it tastes exactly how you want it to.

And that's it!

Pasta salad.

Enjoy!