Pasta Salad Improved-Lemon Bacon Pasta Salad

This is the second part of my 2-part pasta salad postings.  ;-)  You can find my first posting here.  This one has so much flavor and it's unexpected.  You really could add other ingredients to this, just consider this the base recipe.

Salad

12 oz. pkg. short pasta
1 Cup peas, frozen
8 oz. bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

1.  Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain & cool.
2.  Add remaining ingredients to a bowl.
3.  Add the pasta to the other ingredients and mix together.

Dressing

3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp. black pepper

1.  Mix all ingredients together in a food processor.
2.  Add dressing to the salad and mix together.

Pasta Salad Improved- Fiesta Pasta Salad

I have been cooking a lot more than usual lately and I have found some great recipes that I have adapted and absolutely love.  I don't want to forget them and I also want to share these recipes with others because they are so great!  So, I'll be posting a series here over the next few days (or weeks, if I'm being realistic) of some of the things I have made lately that turned out to be better than just a regular 'ol dish.

The first two are pasta salads.  We have had a lot of pot lucks to go to lately, considering it's summer now and I'm always scrambling at the last minute to try to find a good food item to bring.  Normally, pasta salads are just "ok".  They're what I would call "filler" food.  People just make them to add an extra dish to the entree, but they're usually pretty flavorless.  Well, I have found two pasta salad recipes and now I will never need another.  They are SO tasty!  Neither of them contain mayonnaise, so they are fine to serve in the hot weather at a potluck.

The first one is a mexican version.  Just a fair warning, this makes a HUGE batch.  Enjoy!

Salad

1 (1 lb.) pkg. pasta (I usually use bowtie, but any short pasta would work)

1/4 cup or 1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 can sliced olives, drained
1 pkg. corn, frozen
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 Cups cheddar cheese, grated
salt to taste

1.  Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and cool.
2.  Add all of the other ingredients to a (very) large bowl.
3.  Add the pasta to the other ingredients and mix together.

Dressing

1 Cup plain greek yogurt
1 Cup sour cream
1 Cup buttermilk
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Fiesta Dip Mix (if you can't find that, here is a recipe for a mexican seasoning you could use instead).

1.  Mix all ingredients together with a wisk until completely combined.
2.  Add dressing to the salad and mix together.

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.  Serve with Frito corn chips on top.  Delicious!

I have posted my other favorite pasta salad recipe here.