Are you stressed about Valentine’s Day? Did you tell your Valentine, or Palentine, that you would cook them dinner, but you also burnt popcorn this past week? No need to worry, this is a pasta salad recipe that takes less than 30 minutes and is simple enough for a dorm kitchenette. This recipe is perfect to share with friends, or a dinner for two with leftovers. It should easily make 6-8 servings.

The ingredients are a box of garden rotini (12 oz), 1 large tomato, 2 mini cucumbers, 1 tablespoon of chopped basil, 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, ½ to ¾ a bottle of Italian dressing, and ½ a cup of feta cheese. You can also add 1/2 a cup of parmesan cheese.

The cookware needed is a pot, strainer, cutting board/plate, measuring spoons, knife and medium-sized container with a lid.

To start, you’ll bring a pot of water to a boil. Make sure there is enough water to cover the pasta about an inch. In the meantime, wash your veggies and dry them to cut them up on a cutting board or plate. I like to cut my cucumbers into half circles and dice my tomato. You can mince fresh garlic and chop the fresh basil, but I bought it already cut up to save time. In a large bowl, you will add the tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, garlic, and ½ a cup of feta cheese.

Once the water is boiling, you will add your pasta noodles and boil for 10-12 minutes. Fun fact: Barilla, an Italian food company, has labeled playlists on Spotify that are long enough to cook your pasta. After the pasta is cooked, you will strain it in the sink and wash it with cold water to cool off in the strainer.

When cooled, you will add the pasta to the bowl with your other ingredients. Now, you will add around ½ – ¾ of the bottle of Italian dressing, but I often measure with my heart. Put the lid on your container and “shake it off” like Taylor Swift. Even shaken well, you may still need to stir with a spoon to get all the tomatoes, cucumbers, and feta mixed.

And voila, you have a tasty meal for your Valentine’s plans. Pasta salad only gets better as it sets in the Italian dressing and may need shaking throughout the week. If there are any leftovers, they should go into the fridge and throw them out after five days. Now all that’s left is to clean up, plate your delish dinner, and enjoy Valentine’s Day with a loved one(s).

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