Healthy

• For a healthy penne pasta, whole grain pasta should be used. One healthy pasta salad you can make combines 1 cup of cooked pasta with 4 cups cooked chicken breast, 1 cup roasted red peppers and 1/4 cup basil in a large bowl. For the vinaigrette, 6 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil is combined with 3 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp. of spicy mustard and 1/2 tsp. of salt and ground black pepper each. Tossed with the vinaigrette the pasta is chilled for an hour before serving with a sprinkling of freshly grated asiago cheese.
  
  

Hearty

• If no one is counting calories and you just want to make a salad that will fill you up, a penne pasta salad with creamy pesto sauce will do the trick. For this pasta, 1/2 cup of mayonnaise is combined with 1 cup of pesto sauce for the dressing. In another bowl, a 16 oz. box of cooked penne pasta is combined with 1 cup of frozen peas and a 16 oz. can of quartered artichoke heart. Tossed with the creamy pesto dressing, the pasta is served chilled with grated Parmesan cheese on top. Adding cooked chicken breast to the pasta makes it more filling.
  
  

Sweet

• Penne pasta salad can be turned into a dessert dish with the addition of sugar and whipped cream. For this different dish, the dressing is made by combining 2 tbsp. of confectioner's sugar with 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract and 1/2 cup of strawberries. The mixture is blended with an electric mixer until thickened and smooth. Three cups of cooked penne pasta is tossed with 1 tsp. of canola and 1/3 cup toasted coconut flakes are added to a bowl with 1 1/2 cups of sliced strawberries. Four cups of salad greens are placed on the serving plate and the pasta mixture is placed on top, followed by the sweet dressing. Half a cup of chopped walnuts garnish this creative dish.
  
  

Spicy

• If you like a little spice in your food, kick up a penne pasta salad with hot spices or peppers. For a spicy, Italian-style salad, combine a minced serrano pepper with 1/2 bunch of parsley, two cloves minced garlic, 1 tbsp. oregano and capers, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 4 oz.. crumbled feta cheese, 12 chopped black olives and 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper in a bowl, with added black pepper to taste. One small onion sliced into rings and two bay leaves are added to the water for flavor as 10 oz. of pasta is cooked on the stove. The cooked penne pasta and softened onion is tossed with the dressing and served chilled.