I love bacon and Ranch dressing, but I’m sort of tired of those being the driving factors in my pasta salad, so here’s something a little different with a little bit of a Mediterranean flair. It’s quite light, especially if you go easy on the homemade dressing (and if you want to swap it out for a different dressing you like better, you can). This recipe makes enough for a party, so if you aren’t throwing one, cut the recipe in half or plan to have leftovers.

ingredients for pasta salad:

• 1 package tri-color pasta of your choice––I like the corkscrew kind.
• 1 package edamame, shelled––Follow the cooking instructions on the bag.
• 1 can baby corn
• 1 can dark red kidney beans (low sodium preferred), drained
• 1 can cannellini beans, drained––You can substitute garbanzo beans (chick peas) if you like.
• 1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 small jar kalamata olives, drained
• 1 small package crumbled feta cheese
• 3 or 4 stalks of heart of palm, sliced into discs

ingredients for homemade dressing:

• garlic salt
• lemon pepper
• extra virgin olive oil––Make sure you go with a brand that tastes good!
• lemon juice

Boil the water for the pasta for a dollop of olive oil instead of salt. Follow the instructions on the pasta.

Follow the instructions on the edamame to steam them.

Drain and rinse the canned/jarred ingredients.

Mix all the yummies together in a large bowl.

Now for the dressing, which is a Lebanese dressing my grandmother and mom taught me, and which I use for many kinds of salad. Add the garlic salt and lemon pepper to taste. I usually cover the entire bowl with each spice because it will be mixed in with a lot of pasta salad. (You can be more generous with the lemon pepper; if you add too much salt the flavor won’t feel light or refreshing.) Add enough olive oil to coat everything slightly but not enough for the oil to collect at the bottom of the bowl. Add a generous dollop of lemon juice. Mix everything together.

Serve cold. Enjoy!