Kinda-Sorta Tivoli Salad - Easy

TheHubby likes the local Salad with the Works place, and usually goes there for lunch several times a week.  His favorite salad is the Tivoli (yeah, yeah, I know it's not kosher, but ignore this transgression ... Yom Kippur is coming soon).  Since I already have in stock the ingredients that usually go in a salad (for a change), I thought I would try to make a more kashrut-friendly version.

Did a fast search for an online clone to get an idea of ingredient quantites.  Discovered  zillions of recipes that call themselves Tivoli, but none that resembles Big Salad Chain Tivoli.

The one thing I didn't expect was finding the calorie count for the original Tivoli:  over 1,000 calories!  Eek!  Don't even ask about the number of fat grams.  Not sure what the total drops down to when cheese is omitted, but the reduction can't be that much.  No wonder theHubby likes it so much!

So without a recipe in front of him, theHubby attempted to create something close from memory.  Oh, yeah, did I mention that theHubby made lunch?  Woo-hoo!  Feel the love!  As far as I'm concerned, any time someone else takes a turn in the kitchen, it turns out wonderful!  Even if it wasn't.  But it was!   And I'm not just sayin' ....

His version left out the cheese, but the rest is pretty close.  I happen to like black olives, so olives are on my salad.  Olives are not in the original Tivoli salad, but if you are a purest ... tough.  Remember, I didn't make lunch, so it was wonderful.

The bottom line -- this non-clone salad is wonderful.  Because it's made with love.  And olives.

Kinda-Sorta Tivoli Salad
serves 3

1 cup radiatore(or rotini) pasta, uncooked
1/2 bag mixed greens salad
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
3 slices from a large red onion (about 1/4 inch thick)
3 slices salami
3 slices deli turkey breast
4 black olives, sliced (optional)
Italian dressing (bottled ok) to taste (or your favorite dressing)

Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain and run cold water over it to cool it quickly and to prevent sticking.

Divide salad greens among 3 salad plates or bowls.
Top with tomatos and cooled pasta, tomato slices and red onion rings.

Jullienne slice the deli meats:  roll up salami, then cut thin slices from roll.  Repeat with the turkey breast.  Divide among salad.

Serve salad.  Pass around dressing of choice.