Southern Hospitality Pasta Salad
"This pasta salad was inspired by one of my favorite pimento cheese spread. I started with one of my favorite store-bought varieties, then bumped up the volume so to speak, by adding Spanish olives, garlic and fresh ground horseradish, then thinned it out slightly with a bit of milk so that it was loose enough to mix well and coat the pasta. For a fun twist, I used rotini pasta (pun intended!!), and added bacon, scallions, grape tomatoes and shredded rotisserie chicken. This substantial pasta salad is bursting with flavor and will be a huge hit at your next summer potluck!"
Serves8
Preparation Time15 min
Cooking Time15 min
Ingredients
- 2 cups Your favorite store-bought pimento cheese spread
- 3 cups hcopped Manzanilla Spanish olives, plus 3 tablespoons of juice from the jar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons Fresh ground horseradish
- 1 cup milk
- 9 slices prepackaged fully cooked bacon (plus additional, crumbled for garnish)
- 12 ounces Rotini pasta
- 3 Scallions, chopped (plus additional, chopped for garnish)
- 6 ounces Grape tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup Shredded rotisserie chicken
Instructions:
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In a large bowl, mix together the pimento cheese, olives, olive juice, garlic, and horseradish; stir in the milk; set aside.
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Place the bacon onto a large microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high for 10 - 15 seconds, just to crisp bacon. Coarsely chop bacon; set aside.
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Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain; rinse with cold water and drain well.
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Place the pasta into the bowl with the pimento cheese mixture. Add in the scallions, tomatoes, chicken and reserved bacon; mix to fully combine.
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Garnish with chopped scallion and crumbled bacon.
