Nothing says summer quite like barbecuing in the backyard, right? I love all the yummy meats slathered in barbecue sauce and the quintessential sides for a cookout. Watermelon, chips, corn on the cob, a really good potato salad, and a cold pasta salad–those are my favorites. A pretty simple round-up and luckily, when I’m in a pinch for time it’s all basically stuff I can buy from the store that doesn’t actually require me to prepare it. Except for the pasta salad. Because it can’t be just any pasta salad recipe from the store. Oh no, it needs to be the one I make, without mayonnaise, or else my husband won’t eat it.

the easiest pasta salad recipe

If you’ve been a loyal reader for awhile (or even a not-so loyal reader) then you know I’m all about simple. Let’s be honest, I’ve got six kids so if there’s a shortcut for something, I’m going to take it. In the famous words of Sweet Brown–“Ain’t nobody got time for that!” Don’t know what I mean? Please do yourself a favor and refer to the video below:

How boring is my life that this clip still makes me chuckle eight years later? Anyway, where was I going with this? Oh yes, simple. Let’s keep things simple. Well, this pasta salad recipe is definitely simple! With a minimum of four ingredients (and however many more you want to add–we’ll get to that) it can be made in a matter of minutes the night before your barbecue.

| Not barbecuing outside? That’s okay, check out this recipe for barbecue chicken nachos you can make in your slow cooker! |

a mayonnaise-free pasta salad

A lot of cold pasta salads that you see in the store have mayo as the base. For that reason my sweet husband doesn’t like them, as he is adamantly anti-mayo. Luckily, I discovered on a picnic to the beach once when we were dating that this was a pasta salad recipe that he actually likes because it uses Italian dressing rather than mayonnaise. Technically, it uses Zesty Italian dressing, although you could really add any type you prefer. So I can almost guarantee that if you also have an anti-mayo zealot in your house they’ll like this pasta salad recipe.

| Ready for dessert? Check out this recipe for dipped homemade ice cream sandwiches! |

As I mentioned, this recipe calls for a minimum of four ingredients. You want a pasta noodle, a dressing base, a protein, and a vegetable. If you want to add multiple proteins or vegetables that’s great too! One of the great things about this pasta salad is that there’s not really much of a right or wrong (I mean, within reason, let’s not go crazy and have a Rachel moment.

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Easy Summer Pasta Salad

This easy pasta salad has four ingredients and contains no mayonnaise making it the perfect summer side for your next barbeque!

Course: Side Dish

Author: Justine @ Little Dove

Ingredients

• 1 box pasta, I recommend garden rotini
• 1 bottle Zesty Italian dressing
• 1 protein, cubed cheese of choice or bacon crumbles work great
• 1 vegetable, diced peppers, cherry tomatoes, or slivered carrots are great options

Instructions

1. Cook noodles according to directions and allow to cool, running cold water over them once drained so they stop cooking.

2. Combine all ingredients together, except the protein. Feel free to add additional veggies and use whatever you have on hand!

3. Allow to sit several hours or overnight for best results.

4. Before serving mix in the protein(s).

Do you have a favorite pasta salad recipe? What’s your opinion on mayonnaise?

Check out more yummy recipes I pin over on Pinterest!