This is a simple recipe because I use any Italian dressing as the seasoning. My favorite is Olive Garden dressing, but use your favorite Italian dressing.

Chop the following ingredients into bite sized pieces:

Broccoli
Cauliflower
Onions (green onions or regular onions. Purple or red onions add a nice touch of color.)
Fresh Mushrooms
Baby Carrots
Celery

Boil pasta of your choice and rinse in cold water. Toss pasta and veggies with dressing. Add green olives and sprinkle with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese. Chill.

For added flavor try adding Italian sausage tortellini or cheese tortellini in place of some of the plain pasta. I usually use Buitoni brand and use about half of a package of tortellini. You can also use colored pasta to make the dish more interesting. On occasion, I will also put in halved grape tomatoes, pepperoni or grilled chicken.

A friend of mine makes this same pasta salad, but cooks the vegetables and serves it warm. Green, yellow or red peppers look very good in this salad.

Serve with warm buttered bread or garlic breadsticks!