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. Toss in canned chunk light tuna, cooked chicken or flavored baked tofu (see Note) to add protein and make it more substantial.

Makes 6 servings, 1 cup each

ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

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

1. 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.
2. 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.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 205 calories; 9 g fat (2 g sat, 5 g mono); 1 mg cholesterol; 29 g carbohydrate; 6 g protein; 4 g fiber; 291 mg sodium; 269 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (97% daily value), Vitamin A (70% dv), Fiber (17% dv).
2 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 2 fat (mono)

TIP: Ingredient note: Precooked “baked tofu” is firmer than water-packed tofu and comes in a wide variety of flavors. You might also like flavored baked tofu on a sandwich or in a stir-fry.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

I think this is an excellent pasta salad recipe!

Sally

I have made this 5-6 times now. Everytime I change it a little bit. Such as add corn or peas or I don't put in the basil or scallions. I use regular mayonnaise and only put 1/4 cup of mayo & low-fat yogurt. Also, I only use 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Anonymous, Glendale, ca

I am kind of picky about pasta salad and I love this recipe. I make it as is, adding the tuna once in a while if it will be main dish.

Anonymous

Pretty nice pasta salad! Added some cubes of marinated tofu to make it more of a one-dish meal. I don't usually like mayonaise-based salads, but the whole wheat pasta stood up to it very well.

Anonymous, Moscow, ID

Very creamy and flavorful! Doesn't taste "lite" and satisfies the craving for old-fashioned, fatty macaroni salad.

Beth, Milwaukee, WI

After many years of using the same old pasta salad recipe, I decided to try this one. It was wonderful, especially the dressing. I used the Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta (whole wheat pasta is a hard sell around here!) and substituted canned black olives for the Kalamatas because that's what we had. The first batch disappeared so fast that I made a second one the next day. On the second try I added the fresh basil to the dressing before adding the pasta and liked it better that way. Lots of ways to modify the ingredients, but the dressing is perfect as is!

Kristin, Richmond, VA

This will become one of my regular items to bring to picnics, barbeques and potlucks! It was really easy and delicious. I found tri-color whole wheat pasta from Hodgson Mill which made the salad very pretty (as if it wouldn't have been with all of those veggies). I think next time I may try roasting the garlic to give it a more intense flavor, but it was great as was. The only changes I made were to use canola oil mayo instead of rf and regular black olives instead of kalamata.

Angela, Westland, MI

You can add cucumber, onion slices lots of other stuff I use olive oil and vinegar dressing & mrs dash & cumin ground gives it a great flaver.

Betty, Eatonville, WA

Amazing salad! I have made it several times now, and it never lasts long enough to have leftovers. Delicious!

Laura, Sacramento, CA

I used less mayo and more Greek yogurt. It was creamy and delicious! No one had a clue that it wasn't all mayo! I also used less oil and more vinegar (rice wine).

Susan, Bridgewater, MA