Easy Penne Pasta Salad

I had completely forgotten about the existence of pasta salads until I spent some time with my sister this past spring and she made one to have on hand for easy work lunches. Needless to say the flame of this old love was rekindled, and the recipe below is the child of that love! (Oh dear...) The keeper recipe I've finally settled on is mostly drawn from Taste of Home and A Southern Soul, but with tweaks to fit my own tastes better. It's not the most exciting dish, but when I'm craving a lot of veggies and needing something that'll fill me up it fits the bill quite nicely! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have this summer!

Easy Penne Pasta Salad

(7 servings*)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons of olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

1 1/2 teaspoons of bouillon powder

1 teaspoon of sugar

Garlic powder (to taste)

Herbs (to taste)

Onion powder (to taste)

Salt (to taste)

410g / 14.5oz of dry penne pasta

1kg / 2.2lbs of cherry tomatoes (quartered)

5 small cucumbers (halved/sliced)

1 cup of grated parmesan

*This is about two cups a serving, when eaten as the primary dish at a meal. As a side it could certainly stretch much further!

Directions

1) I like to make the dressing first - whisking together the oil, lemon juice, bouillon, sugar, and seasonings - so that it can sit and deepen a bit while I prepare everything else.

2) While a large pot of water is heating on the stove prepare your veggies as directed above, then once boiling cook the penne as directed on the box (or as directed by your personal preferences, as always!)

3) Once the penne is cooked drain it and run it under cold water for a minute or so until cooled.

4) Once everything's whisked 'n cooked 'n chopped stir it together in a large bowl along with the grated parmesan and serve! I honestly love this pasta salad on its own, but it goes nicely with a chunk of baguette and a whole bunch of other stuff too. However you have it, enjoy!