California Pasta Salad

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 1 (16 ounce) package rotini pasta (spiral pasta)
• 2 small zucchini, ends removed, chopped
• 1 large cucumber, ends removed, seeded, chopped
• 2 medium bell peppers, stems removed, seeded, chopped (i use 1 orange and 1 yellow for color)
• 1 large red onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) can black olives, drained well and chopped (optional(kids don't like, so i omit)
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, partially drained
• 1/3 cup freshly-grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon whole celery seed
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 (16 ounce) bottle italian salad dressing (we prefer kraft zesty italian)

Recipe

• 1 boil rotini. (package directions will indicate 8-10 minutes. my family thinks 'al dente' translates to 'raw', so i cook the pasta 4 or 5 minutes longer, until it tastes tender.).
• 2 drain pasta; rinse well with cold water.
• 3 in a very, very large bowl, mix cooled pasta with zucchini, cucumber, sweet peppers, onion and olives, if desired.
• 4 stir in tomatoes. (i use a slotted spoon. that way, you get a little juice, but not an overwhelming amount. if fresh ones are in season, even better, of course!)
• 5 in a small bowl, mix grated cheese with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, celery seeds, paprika and garlic powder.
• 6 sprinkle seasoning mixture over pasta; stir well.
• 7 pour italian dressing over all, stirring well.
• 8 cover and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving. (actually, i find this hits its' 'peak' at 48 hours. stays good for several days after that, but finally begins to get mushy.).