I’m what you’d call a pasta salad connoisseur… I love pretty much any kind of pasta salad! Up until a few years ago, I tried just about every pasta salad recipe I could get my hands on, and frankly, I was getting tired of the same old thing. Feeling rather adventurous one Saturday afternoon, I decided to create my own recipe. The rest is history…
This recipe has more mileage on it than my car. I’ve made it literally hundreds of times and my kids still ask for it. In fact, it’s rather famous. Most of my kids’ friends have come to love this recipe and ask for it when they come over. (If I know they’re heading over, I typically make a batch). Around finals week my kids would text their friends letting them know that “mom Reynolds” was making her famous pasta salad and the kids would take a break from the books, drive on over and hang out for an hour to devour a bowl of pasta salad.
It’s a classic recipe – easy, delicious and healthy. The blend of pasta, mozzarella cheese, onion, green pepper, and spinach is absolutely delicious (and it’s a great way to get your kids to eat spinach without them even realizing it’s healthy!)
Word of advice though, if you plan on making this recipe for your family, you might want to consider cutting the recipe in half. This recipe makes A LOT of pasta salad! Enjoy and please let me know what you think!
If you have a teen-tested recipe you’d like to share, please send it my way!
Ingredients
- 2 12oz boxes bowtie pasta
- 16 oz block of mozzarella cheese (cubed)
- 1/2 to 3/4 bag (15oz) fresh baby spinach (washed, dried and stems removed)
- 1 green pepper (diced)
- 1 red onion (sliced)
- 1/2 bottle (8oz) Italian dressing (or to taste)
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 11-12 minutes or until al dente. While pasta is cooking, cut the mozzarella cheese into cubes, dice the green pepper, slice the red onion and remove the stems from the baby spinach. Add all ingredients to a large bowl. When pasta is done, transfer to a colander and drain. To stop the cooking and cool the pasta, rinse it well with cold water. Drain well and add pasta to the large bowl. Add about half a bottle of the Italian dressing (or to taste.) Mix all ingredients together to coat with the Italian dressing. Refrigerate. 
NOTES: Be careful not to overcook the pasta - you want it firm, not mushy. When adding the Italian dressing, feel free to use as much or as little as you like. I find that 1/3 of a large bottle of Italian dressing (or about 1/2 of a small bottle) is perfect for our taste. Also, sometimes the baby spinach leaves can be large. Simply pull the larger leaves apart so they are more manageable to eat. You'll also want to choose mozzarella cheese that's slightly firmer. I always use the Galbani brand. Lastly, feel free to use any type of pasta you like! Penne works great too!
Ingredients
- 2 12oz boxes bowtie pasta
- 16 oz block of mozzarella cheese (cubed)
- 1/2 to 3/4 bag (15oz) fresh baby spinach (washed, dried and stems removed)
- 1 green pepper (diced)
- 1 red onion (sliced)
- 1/2 bottle (8oz) Italian dressing (or to taste)
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 11-12 minutes or until al dente. While pasta is cooking, cut the mozzarella cheese into cubes, dice the green pepper, slice the red onion and remove the stems from the baby spinach. Add all ingredients to a large bowl. When pasta is done, transfer to a colander and drain. To stop the cooking and cool the pasta, rinse it well with cold water. Drain well and add pasta to the large bowl. Add about half a bottle of the Italian dressing (or to taste.) Mix all ingredients together to coat with the Italian dressing. Refrigerate. 
NOTES: Be careful not to overcook the pasta - you want it firm, not mushy. When adding the Italian dressing, feel free to use as much or as little as you like. I find that 1/3 of a large bottle of Italian dressing (or about 1/2 of a small bottle) is perfect for our taste. Also, sometimes the baby spinach leaves can be large. Simply pull the larger leaves apart so they are more manageable to eat. You'll also want to choose mozzarella cheese that's slightly firmer. I always use the Galbani brand. Lastly, feel free to use any type of pasta you like! Penne works great too!