What is better in the heat of summer than pasta salad. Ice cream, maybe? But that's not appropriate for dinner. You can make a great pasta salad by just cooking tri-color pasta, draining and rinsing, and then tossing it with halved cherry tomatoes and diced bell peppers. A bit of fresh coarsly grated parmesan finishes it off. Top with any thick dressing - I use homemade balsamic vinagrette that I pop in the freezer for a few minutes to chill and thicken. I find it much better to dress individual portions right before eating, that helps to avoid the oily slimy pasta salad fate that so many people suffer at BBQs.
