"I'm a middle child, so I have a need to stand out. This pasta salads fills that need, in both presentation and taste. This is the potluck show stopper that will have everyone asking 'Who brought that pasta salad?!'"
1Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain and rinse under cold water.
2Put 2 tablespoons water in each of 4 resealable plastic bags; add red food coloring to a bag. Add green food coloring to second bag. Add blue food coloring to third bag. Add yellow food coloring to fourth bag.
3Divide rotini among the four bags; squeeze bag to evenly color rotini. Set aside to allow color to saturate, about 10 minutes. Transfer pasta to a large bowl.
4Whisk sugar, vinegar, oil, parsley, salt, garlic powder, and pepper together in a bowl until sugar is dissolved into dressing.
5Mix onion, green bell pepper, and carrots into pasta. Drizzle dressing over pasta mixture; toss to coat. Refrigerate until flavors blend, at least 2 hours.
Footnotes
Cook's Note:
The amount of food coloring will depend on the number of colors you choose to use. If you prefer not to use artificial coloring, this pasta salad tastes great with traditional pasta too!