This is one of our favorite summer salads. It is so cool and refreshing and pairs well with any grilled food I can think of. Plus, it can be made ahead of time which makes it great for picnics, barbecues and weekend cooking for the upcoming week. In fact, it tastes better the day after it is made because all of the ingredients have time to marinate in the dressing.

The ingredients provide a great variety of colors and tastes. Using fresh sweet red peppers from my garden or the farmer’s market is a particular treat in the summer. I quite often make this with tri-color pasta which makes it even more colorful and pretty. If you like pepperoni, feel free to add some diced pepperoni to the salad. It makes it even yummier.

Instructions:

• 12 ounces rotini or mezze penne, cooked al dente and rinsed under cold water until cold
• 1 large red pepper, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1- 6 ounce can black olives, drained (6 ounces is the drained weight )
• 4 ounces Swiss or sharp cheddar cheese, diced
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Mix together the pasta, vegetables and cheese. In a separate bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients to make the dressing. Pour the dressing into the pasta bowl and mix everything together well.