Mix Up Your Salad Routine

Rainbow Pasta SaladServes: 6 | Serving Size: 1 and 1/4 cups3 cups cooked macaroni1/2 cup red onion, chopped2 cups tomato, chopped1 cup red or green bell pepper, chopped1 cup cooked black beans1 cup cooked corn1 Tbsp vinegar1 tsp oilBlack pepper to taste2 tsp Italian seasoningCombine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 24 hours. If you'd like, you can garnish the dish with Parmesan cheese.Nutrition Information:Serves 6. Each 1 and 1/4 cup serving contains 278 calories, 3 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 15 mg sodium, 54 g carbohydrate, 7 g dietary fiber, 3 g sugar, and 10 g protein.Each serving also has 13% DV vitamin A, 48% DV vitamin C, 2% DV calcium, and 16% DV iron.Chef's Tips:Don't have Italian seasoning mix? Make your own! Play around with dried rosemary, basil, oregano, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes until you have a combination that pleases your palate.Cooking Lesson:This is a great “planned over” dish that can use extra foods from other meals (boil extra pasta the next time you make it and use that as the base of this dish, for example) for a quick and healthful meal later in the week.Nutrition Lesson:Go for whole wheat pasta instead of traditional refined varieties and you will increase the fiber and nutrients in this already amazing dish!Vegetables are high in nutrients and fiber, yet low in calories and fat. Many people detract from the overall benefits of salads by slathering them with dressings and cheese. Don’t do that. Instead, flavor salads with oil in sparing amounts, along with vinegar or lemon.