Rotelle Pasta Salad with Garlicky Broccoli and Mozzarella

By dette

This Italian-inspired salad looks almost as good as it tastes. It's so colorful on the plate that you just know it's going to taste good, even before you take one bite. The balsamic and garlic provide plenty of bold flavor. make sure, though, that you chop your garlic good and small so that it doesn't give too much of a bite.

Ingredients

• 6 cups loosely packed broccoli florets
• 1/3 c bottled light balsamic vinaigrette
• 3 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
• 6 oz rotelle pasta
• 1 cup finely chopped skim mozzarella
• 1/2 c cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 3 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh basil
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Preparation

Step 1

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the broccoli until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon, reserving the cooking liquid in the pot, and spread out he broccoli on a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain and dry completely. Once dry, toss with the dressing and the garlic in a large serving bowl. Bring the water back up to the boil and add the pasta. cook according to the package directions. drain well and cool completely.
Add the cooled pasta to the bowl with the broccoli and dressing, along with the mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and red pepper flakes. Toss to coat and combine.

To avoid calorie and carb overload in pasta salads, I always add more veggies and less pasta. i keep the cheese content down by cutting he mozzarella into smaller pieces. That way I get more cheesy flavor in every bite without the extra calories and fat.

fat 3 g; calories 210; protein 14 g; carb 34 g; fiber 4 g; sodium 526 mg