Has this ever happened to you? Youve been invited to a party and realize you dont have a meal to bring. Not only that, but the party starts in an hour. What should you do?

You have four options:

Dont go, and miss out on a really fun time.

Show up empty-handed and explain red-faced that you forgot.

Grab a casserole dish and head to the deli. Order your food and have them put it right into your casserole dish. Yes, Ive gone this. Its expensive but it works. If you get asked for the recipe, just wink and say Its Grandmas secret recipe.

Whip up a big batch of pasta salad for only a few dollars, and have plenty left over to eat for lunch during the week. You will save money and look good showing up at the party with a great dish.

Pasta salad is truly one of the easiest meals to prepare. All you need are noodles and salad dressing. You can use pretty much any salad dressing on the market C the standards like Italian, Ranch, or, if youre ambitious, your favorite homemade dressing.

Now for the fun part. Cook the noodles, following package directions and then drain. Pour the dressing on while the noodles are warm so they will absorb all that good oily flavor.

Look around your kitchen to see if you have any of the following ingredients:

= Fresh veggies C carrots, broccoli, green onions
= Frozen vegetables C frozen peas are wonderful in pasta salad
= Cubed or shredded cheese
= Garbanzo beans (also known as Chick Peas)
= Black Olives

Toss in whatever you can find. Its an everything goes type of recipe. Bring more dressing with you in case you need to add it later, and voila! Youre done.

If youre feeling fancy, you can bring some cherry tomatoes, parmesan cheese, bacon bits or sunflower seeds as toppings. Its all good.

The next time you are invited to a party, dont panic. Just grab these instructions and whip up a meal in minutes. Enjoy!