This pasta salad recipe is your summers’ best kept secret! Not only is it delicious and creamy, but it has absolutely no mayonnaise at all! We replaced the mayo with a mixture of fat-free ranch salad dressing and fat-free sour cream. Throw in some diced tomatoes, reduced-fat bacon bits and scallions and you have the best (and healthiest!) side dish to bring to your 4th of July picnic.
Sometimes just making simple ingredient swaps can make all the difference in your caloric intake within a day. Picnics and barbecues are definitely a challenge in the summer months when it comes to staying on track with your healthy goals. With a simple swap of fat-free ranch salad dressing and fat-free sour cream for mayonnaise, we took this recipe from 388 calories and 24 grams of fat, to 156 calories and just 1 gram of fat!
Bring this no-mayo pasta salad to your 4th of July celebration this week. We guarantee it’ll go fast and no one will miss the mayo!
2 cups Elbow macaroni (dry)*
½ cup Ranch salad dressing, fat-free
½ cup Sour Cream, fat free
1 medium Tomato, diced
2 tbsp Bacon Bits – 50% less fat
1 bunch Scallions
2 tsp Garlic Salt (suit to taste)
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and run under cold water to cool. Place cooked pasta in a medium size bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
*2 cups dry elbows yields 4 cups cooked pasta
Serves 8 (1/2 cup pasta salad)
Calories 156 | Fat 1g | Saturated Fat 0g | Carbs 30g | Fiber 2g | Sugars 3g | Protein 6g
Like this recipe? Find more in our cookbooks filled with healthy recipes you can make easily and deliciously! Good food and weight loss can go together.