Margaret and Hank’s Pasta Salad

Whenever I come up with a particularly successful recipe at my Dad’s house, he asks for the recipe. Sometimes I didn’t follow a recipe, so I scribble down what I did for him. Then I discover it years later, and I go, “Hey! I remember coming up with this one!”

8 oz rotini pasta, cooked and drained
Toss with 1/2 C Italian dressing, homemade or store-bought
Let it marinate overnight.
In the morning, add the following:
A couple of carrots, grated
A green pepper, diced
Cherry tomatoes, halved, or diced fresh tomatoes
A cucumber, diced
A couple of tablespoons of sweet onion, diced
A handful of mushrooms, sliced
Toss in a packet of pasta salad dressing (we used McCormick’s brand) plus as much oil and vinegar as the packet calls for. Refrigerate for one or two hours, until chilled.

Note: You can make a meal out of this by adding 6-8 oz of diced ham.