If I'm being honest, the novelty of cooking new recipes and having dinner every night at home during quarantine wore off pretty quickly for me. I love to cook and we did find some awesome new recipes, but I do not find joy in cleaning all. the. dishes.  I didn't think I would miss eating out so much, but sometimes it just nice not to eat your own food. 


That being said, I've been on the hunt for recipes that can be made in big batches and stored in the fridge for quick, easy prep at meal times. This easy summer side dish was inspired by one that my mother-in-law made for us one night when we were grilling. We subbed a couple of things, and one night Kyle said it looked like a stoplight, so hence the name - Stoplight Pasta Salad! 


Ingredients: 
  • 1-16 oz. bag of orzo pasta 
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 cup frozen corn, cooked and drained 
  • green onions, sliced thin
  • Olive Garden Italian dressing - just enough to coat the pasta 
  • 1-6 oz container of feta cheese 
Instructions: 
  1. Cook and drain your pasta according to package instructions. Place aside and let cool completely (I place mine in an airtight container in the fridge overnight)
  2. Chop the bell pepper and green onions 
  3. Cook and drain the corn 
  4. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir
This is the perfect pair to burgers, BBQ or if you're looking for a fast and easy complete meal, we like to top ours with grilled chicken for weekday lunches. As I mentioned above, I typically cook the orzo one day and then add everything else in the next day so the pasta doesn't absorb all of the dressing.  That being said, you will probably want to add more dressing each time you eat it, especially if you're adding a protein on top. I also usually eyeball everything instead of exact measurements, so feel free to add more or less of things you prefer or don't like as much!