How to Make Seven Layer Pasta Salad

Serves: 8

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients needed to make Seven Layer Pasta Salad:

• 4 cups farfalle
• 2 avocados, peeled, stoned and diced
• 1 small head romaine lettuce, sliced
• 2 broccoli stalks, chopped into florets
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
• ¼ cup + 1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
• 8 oz yellow cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cups deli ham, diced
• Juice of 1 lime
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cooking instructions for Seven Layer Pasta Salad:

• Fill a large pot with water and stir in salt until well mixed.
• Bring it to a boil and toss the farfalle into it.
• Cook for according to package instructions, until cooked al dente.
• Drop the broccoli florets into it before 4 minutes is left to for the cooking time to get over and cook until they soften.
• Drain them into a colander and wash under cold running water.
• Shake of any excess water droplets in it and separate the broccoli from the pasta.
• Dab the veggie with paper towels and set aside.
• Place the mayonnaise in a bowl and whisk in the buttermilk until well combined.
• Pour in half of the lime juice and stir it into the mixture along with ¼ cup chives, ¼ tsp salt and a dash of ground black pepper until they are distributed evenly throughout the mixture.
• Place the pasta in a separate bowl and drizzle few tbsp of the above mixture into it
• Toss them together to coat well and set aside.
• To assemble, place the diced avocados in a glass serving bowl and drizzle rest of the lime juice into it.
• Toss them well along with a dash of salt until well combined and spread them in an even layer.
• Scatter the diced ham over the avocados and top it up with a layer of cooked broccoli.
• Spread the tossed pasta on top and sprinkle the shredded cheese over them.
• Arrange a layer of sliced lettuce over it and finish it off with the final layer of tomatoes.
• Smother the tomatoes with rest of the prepared dressing and garnish with a tbsp of chives on top.
• Place a lid on top and leave in the fridge for a couple of house to chill.
• Serve cold.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons