disclaimer: thanks to my relationship with Sprouts Farmers Market, this is a sponsored post to help share to my local community awesomeness of Sprouts. all opinions are my own.

And I’m not just talking about #MeatlessMonday! During a recent visit to Sprouts (find a location near you here), they challenged us to up our veggies – and I did not realize how easy it was to do so! #livinontheveg

Luckily, I enjoy my fair share of cauliflower & broccoli, but there are so many other vegetables with a healthy dose of vitamins, antioxidants and even protein! Plus, Sprouts has sooo many good produce items to choose from; in most Sprouts locations, their produce department is 30% of their store! Now that’s a lot of wholesome goodness! And for my local friends – make sure you visit the South Tampa store! Their store is still amazing – but now they have even more parking! We all know parking is not the easiest at some stores on Dale Mabry; now, no need to fight traffic to grab your groceries.

To make it a challenge for myself, I decided to recreate one of my Dad’s favorite recipes; it is very simple but I was going to be replacing the main ingredient – PASTA! My Dad’s Pasta Salad has always been very consistent, and that was just how we wanted it! His salad has tri-color pasta, kidney beans, celery, carrots, broccoli and smothered in Italian dressing. My mother’s side of the family is Italian, so I did not skip out on the dressing – but here is my rendition:

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Veggie Pasta Salad

With the challenge to up my veggies, I remade my Dad's famous (yet simple & delicious) pasta salad thanks to knowledge from Sprouts. #livinontheveg

Course

Side Dish / Appetizer

Cuisine

Salads

Prep Time

40 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 1 box Explore Cuisine Organic Chickpea Fusilli Pasta
• 1 box Explore Cuisine Organic Mung Bean Rotini
• 2 cucumbers
• 5 assorted Bell Peppers (I used 3 Red Peppers & 2 Orange Peppers)
• 1 can Dark Red Kidney Beans *optional
• 1 can Garbanzo Beans *optional, I did not include mine in the finished product!
• 1 bottle Sprouts Organic Balsamic Dressing

Course Side Dish / Appetizer Cuisine Salads Prep Time 40 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Servings servings Ingredients 1 box Explore Cuisine Organic Chickpea Fusilli Pasta 1 box Explore Cuisine Organic Mung Bean Rotini 2 cucumbers 5 assorted Bell Peppers (I used 3 Red Peppers & 2 Orange Peppers) 1 can Dark Red Kidney Beans *optional 1 can Garbanzo Beans *optional, I did not include mine in the finished product! 1 bottle Sprouts Organic Balsamic Dressing

Instructions

1. First, cook both of your boxes of pasta; I made mine with two boxes since I knew I would want plenty of leftovers. The box suggests to run cold water over your pasta once it is strained & cooked - this does help with the consistency of the pasta.

   
2. While your pasta is cooking; cut your veggies! I cut my cucumbers into quarters and my peppers into thick, small slivers. Sounds silly, but think of a size that will be easy to get with your fork.
3. Once your pasta is cooked, place in refridgerator to cool.
4. Open beans & rinse.
5. Combine your ingredients, stir gently, add in desired dressing and salt & pepper for taste. Mix your ingredients gingerly, sustitute pasta is much more fragile that your typical grain pasta.

   

Recipe Notes

*don't be afraid with the dressing! I was afraid to use too much, but after one day in the refrigerator, I did add more since the pasta & veggies did absorb some of the deliciousness.

**random - pasta salad is always better on the second day! #livinontheveg

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What is your favorite way to add more veggies to your diet?!