It is 88 degrees at 6:00 and nobody wants anything warm
August travel ball. Your kid comes off the field sweaty and pink-faced, and a jar of hot chili would be a joke. What they want is cold, and they want it in their hand in eight seconds.
Rotini, mozzarella pearls, halved cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and chopped chicken, tossed in Italian dressing. It sits on ice for four hours and comes out exactly as good as it went in.
Dress it lightly and put a spoonful more dressing in a two-ounce cup. Pasta drinks dressing while it chills, and a box that was perfect at 4:00 is dry at 7:00 without that cup.
Ingredients
The recipe fills 4 boxes. Plan on about 25 minutes.
- 12 oz rotini pasta
- 2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1/2 cup diced mozzarella or cheddar
- 1/2 cup Italian dressing
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
How to Make It
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rotini until tender, about 8 minutes.
- Drain the pasta and rinse it under cold water until fully cool, then drain well again.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta, chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, and cheese.
- Pour in the Italian dressing and toss until everything is coated. Season with salt and pepper.
- Divide among 4 boxes and chill until you pack the cooler.
Pack It Cold and Tidy
Pasta salad has chicken and cheese in it, so it needs to ride cold the whole way to the field.
- Nestle the boxes against two ice packs in an insulated bag
- Keep cold food at 40F or below, and do not let it sit out longer than 2 hours
- If it is hot out, pack extra ice and keep the bag in the shade
What Stays Crisp (and What Gets Soggy)
Most of this travels great, but a couple of swaps keep it from going limp.
- Pack a little extra dressing on the side to refresh it before eating
- Use a tiny sauce cup when one kid wants more dressing and another needs the pasta to stay drier
- Add the cucumber and tomatoes the morning of so they stay firm
- Keep any crackers or bread out of the box so they do not soak up dressing
- Serve with: a clementine, a string cheese
Parent Tip
Rinsing the pasta cold stops it from cooking further and keeps the salad from turning gummy.
Make it fit tonight
Small changes that make this one fit your night
A can of chickpeas
Rinsed and drained, a rinsed can makes the box heavy enough for a teenager who lifts.
Pesto thinned with olive oil
Two tablespoons of pesto and one of oil coats a pound of pasta beautifully.
Bow ties instead of rotini
Farfalle catches dressing in the pinched middle and is easier for small forks.
The Greek version
Kalamata olives, feta, and red onion turn it into a completely different box.
Plain pasta and cheese only
One box with no tomatoes saves an argument with the kid who picks them out.
Plan the next step
Plan your cooler nights
Use the planner to mark the warm evenings that call for a cold box instead of a thermos.