A quick and refreshing pasta salad packed with fresh vegetables and a creamy dressing. It uses a boxed pasta mix as a convenient base, upgraded with fresh spinach, juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and carrots. Perfect for a fast weeknight side dish or a casual weekend picnic. The tangy ranch and lemon dressing coats every bite, while the fresh basil adds a bright herbal finish.
Prep
15 min
Servings
4
Course
Salad
Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker™ Suddenly Salad™ classic pasta salad mix
½ cup ranch dressing
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups baby spinach leaves or small broccoli florets
¾ cup grape tomatoes, halved
½ cup sliced cucumber, halved
½ cup julienne carrots
2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
Instructions
1Boil the pasta mix in a saucepan of water for 12 minutes, or until tender. While the pasta cooks, whisk the provided seasoning packet, ranch dressing, and lemon juice together in a medium bowl.
2Drain the cooked pasta and rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking process. Shake off the excess water. Add the cooled pasta, spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, and basil to the bowl with the dressing. Toss everything together until well coated. Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator before serving.