Pasta Salad - the best, hands down.

When my youngest child was born a friend of mine brought me over this pasta salad for dinner.  I was lying up in bed recovering from a not very pleasant epidural experience when my husband brought a bowl of it up to me.  He told me to relax and not worry about anything downstairs.  The kids were all sitting quietly at the table eating dinner.  What?  Wait.  The kids were sitting quietly eating dinner?  No complaining, no making fun of each other, no he said, she said, "Mom, he's looking at me."?  Did my friend drug the salad?  Why did this have to be happening when I was in pain up in bed and not downstairs able to enjoy the moment?  I had to try it right away and holy moly, then I understood.  It was the best pasta salad I had ever had.  I called her after loving every bite-ful that was in my bowl and thanked her for one of the best post-having-a-baby dinners I had received.  Then I continued to say something like, "You are my hero.  You have provided a dinner to my family that is not just delicious to me but delicious to my kid's."  So of course I had to get the recipe!  Now I can't wait to share it with you.  And I'm not exaggerating when I say this recipe is on my menu every. single. month.

Pasta Salad

Yield: About 8 servings

*Note:  I omit the chicken most of the time.  If you include the chicken it can be cooked anyway you prefer.  I've even used leftover rotisserie chicken that was oh so yummy.  I also scoop out a portion of the noodles after setting them aside and put them in a tupperware for my kids to eat later since all my boys love plain noodles.  So I don't use all 16 ounces, it's probably more like 12-14 ounces.  You can also substitute the cheese for other kinds if you don't prefer cheddar.  Another reason I love this recipe - you make it for how it works for you and your family.

Ingredients

*16 ounces corkscrew-shaped pasta

3/4 cup Italian-style salad dressing

1/4 cup mayonnaise

*2 cups chopped, cooked chicken

8 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved

1 avocado - peeled, pitted and chopped

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente (10-12 minutes).  I add a little oil to my noodles while boiling to prevent sticking.  Drain and rinse under cold water.  Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk Italian-style dressing (the more robust the more kick this salad has) and mayonnaise together.  Set aside.

3. Combine pasta, chicken, bacon, cheese, celery, bell pepper, tomatoes and avocado in a bowl.  Pour dressing mixture over top and stir until pasta is evenly coated.

If you are making this ahead of time do not peel, pit or chop and add the avocado until right before serving.  You want it to still be green in your salad when you are ready to serve.  The salad tastes wonderful chilled.

Source: adapted from my friend, Crystal Curtis