Barbeque Pasta Salad

Our dear friends Corey and Caitlin were in Saint Louis over the three-day weekend, and they came over last night for dinner. God, I love the outdoor grilling season. For one, it's the time of year for make-ahead, cold side dishes that can sit in the fridge all day, becoming tastier by the minute. Two, I can force Matt to cook at least half of any given meal, as I absolutely refuse to learn how to grill. Continuing to play dumb earns me extra downtime when we have guests. Strategery, folks.

I made this recipe for barbeque pasta salad, and I was reminded how much I love it. It's kinda sorta unique, and that's saying a lot where pasta salad is concerned. It's creamy instead of vinegary, but it's not disgusting like the drenched-in-mayo elbow macaroni perpetually offered at any given salad bar.

The original recipe by The Neelys calls for pulled pork, but since we were doing burgers, I omitted the meat and just upped the number of veggies. Here's my adapted version.

Barbeque Pasta Salad [adapted from The Neelys' recipe]
-1 pound rotini pasta
-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
-1 teaspoon hot sauce
-1/2 teaspoon chili powder
-1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
-Pinch cayenne pepper
-3/4 cup Miracle Whip
-3/4 cup barbeque sauce
-1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
-3 ribs celery, sliced
-3 whole green onions, sliced thin
-Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring water to boil, in a large pot, over high heat. Salt the water, add the pasta and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and allow to cool.

2. In another large bowl, mix together vinegar, hot sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, mayonnaise and BBQ sauce.

3. Add chopped vegetables and pasta and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.