Light Garden Pasta Salad

This lightly dressed pasta salad gets lots of flavor from kalamata olives and basil. A colorful mix of diced bell pepper, shredded carrot and tomatoes adds vitamins and minerals. Serve on a crisp bed of greens. You can toss in canned chunk light tuna, cooked chicken or flavored baked tofu to add protein and make it more substantial. The dressing is real creamy and very well balanced so for those of you who are turned off by peppers  in your salads (like me), don't fret, it's mixed very well! If you're not a fan of creamy dressings, try using a vinagarette like Simply Dressing Light Raspberry with Acai..it's soooo good! 


Ingredients: 

• 2 cups whole-wheat rotini, (6 ounces) 
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise 
• 1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt 
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar, or lemon juice 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper, to taste 
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved 
• 1 cup diced yellow or red bell pepper, (1 small) 
• 1 cup grated carrots, (2-4 carrots) 
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions, (4 scallions) 
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives 
• 1/3 cup slivered fresh basil 

Directions:  Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes, or according to package directions. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, oil, vinegar (or lemon juice), garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Add the pasta and toss to coat. Add tomatoes, bell pepper, carrots, scallions, olives and basil; toss to coat well.  It makes 6  - 1 cup servings


TIPS & NOTES Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.


Source: Eatingwell.com