Hot Dogs Totally Belong In Your Pasta Salad

No summer barbecue is complete without pasta salad and hot dogs. There's something rather refreshing about a bowl of a fun pasta shape covered in a dressing and accented with vegetables. The perfectly charred dogs are brimming with flavor and just begging to be drizzled with your favorite mustard. But have you ever thought about feeding two birds with one scone and fusing the two together? 

Now introducing your new favorite barbecue staple — and a convenient, fun way to use leftover hot dogs. For this hack, you'll want to make sure your hot dogs are perfectly crispy ... no raw dogging here. Otherwise, you'll risk biting into a squishy piece of undercooked meat — and potentially put yourself at risk for developing a foodborne illness. We'd recommend cooking them on the grill to get a little charred flavor, but cooking them over a stovetop will also work in a pinch. Then, chop up the dog into coins and stir it into your pasta salad for an easy, tasty source of protein. 

If your pasta salad was just noodles and hot dogs, it would be rather sad. You need to send an invite to other fruits and veggies to join the party. When deciding how to pair other ingredients with your salad, think about ingredients that are compatible with hot dog toppings. Raw onions would be one option, while you could also pop open a can of (or make your own) Chicago-style giardiniera to add a bit of bright pickled flavor and crunchy veggies. Be sure that your dressing is also compatible with the dogs; one made with Dijon mustard, olive oil, and vinegar is a good place to start. 

You can also introduce more charred flavor to your salad by grilling some of your ingredients ahead of time. Grill heirloom tomatoes to help caramelize their sweet flavor and add a pop of color to your salad. You could also opt for classic grilled veggies, like peppers and zucchini, to add extra fiber to your salad and complement the perfectly grilled, succulent hot dogs.