What is your go-to dish to bring to a tailgate or to a get-together with your friends? Mine is usually a spinach dip, or something with cheese because I’m a cheese-a-holic, but I’m thinking about switching it up with this healthier option.

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This is originally one of my mother’s recipes. I had forgotten about it until my sister made it for the family during our last visit to her home in Georgia. I am glad she reminded me about it because this is a great side for any meal. It is also a great dish to make ahead if you want to have it for lunch all week long.

Feel free to make this dish ahead of time, because it tastes better after marinating for a day or so.

Ingredients:

• Two 3.8 oz. cans of sliced, Black Olives
• 1 Broccoli Bunch (organic)
• 2 boxes Cherry Tomatoes (organic)
• One 1 lb. box of pasta, like Barilla Rotini
• 1/4 Red Onion (or more to taste)
• Italian Dressing of your choice

Directions:

1. Get your pasta pot full of water and get it boiling while you prepare everything else.
2. Wash your produce and get all the listed ingredients out, plus a big bowl, so you’re ready to go.
3. After washing the produce and draining the black olives from the can; cut all the cherry tomatoes in half, chop up the broccoli into small bites, and finely chop up your red onion. Add to the big bowl to toss together.
4. Meanwhile, when your water comes to a boil, throw the pasta in the pot of boiling water and cook to al-dente or according to the instructions on the package.
5. Once pasta is done, drain it, and throw it in the bowl with the veggies.
6. Add your Italian Dressing to taste, toss it all together, and you’re done!
7. Store in tupperware in the fridge.

This recipe makes a lot of pasta salad, so I had to store it all in a few of these glass pyrex containers that I use all the time.

Here is the PDF version so you can print this recipe.

Tips:

• I usually stick with Barilla pasta because it cooks well and because it is non-GMO (they also have multiple gluten-free pasta options for those with gluten allergies).
• Although you can pick any Italian dressing you want for this recipe (it usually depends on what’s on sale as far as what brand I buy), I like to stick to dressings that are soy free and free of hydrogenated oils and other unnecessary preservatives that get stuck in many foods.

Hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, comment to let me know what you think, and subscribe to Headquarters by Ship so you can get all my healthy recipes straight to your inbox!

Cheers,

Ship