Pasta Salad with broccoli?!
Answers: Do you boil the broccoli until just crisp tender or put it in the salad raw?
you don't have to boil it. But for me.. I prefer to put it in boiling water ( put a little bit oil and salt in it ) and take it out right away. Broccoli will looks nicer and taste good
Most chefs I've seen boil the broccoli, then quickly cool it down ...for color and texture.
It's according to your taste.
Broccoli Pasta Casserole or Salad
1 box frozen broccoli florets - slightly thawed
1 cup chopped ham
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1 - 1 1/2 Tbls. garlic salt
2 cups cooked pasta shells
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
-Bring broccoli, ham, milk, butter, and garlic salt to a boil.
-Stir in cheese; cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes.
-Fold in prepared pasta.
Notes: Can be served hot as a casserole OR cold as a pasta salad.
Broccoli Pasta Salad
2 1/2 cup pasta shells small
(about 8 ounces)
6 cup boiling water
1 tsp salt
20 ml olive oil
4 cup chopped broccoli
8 slc bacon diced & cooked
1 med red onion sliced
1 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms sliced small
1 cup golden raisins
2/3 cup sunflower seeds toasted
DRESSINGS
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
(not salad dressing)
1/4 cup orange juice freshly squeezed
(about 1 medium)
40 ml granulated sugar
20 ml white wine vinegar
1 tsp ground pepper
Method:
Cook pasta in boiling water and salt in large uncovered pot or Dutch oven for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but firm. Drain. Rinse under cold water. Drain well. Turn into large bowl.
Drizzle olive oil over pasta. Toss to coast.
Add next 6 ingredients. Mix well.
Dressing: Whisk all ingredients in small bowl.
Makes about 1 cup dressing. Drizzle over pasta. Toss gently to coat. Makes 12 cups.
NOTES : I used 8 oz whole wheat pasta, cooked without oil. I used frozen broccoli, blanched at the end of cooking the pasta. Instead of bacon I used 5 slices of canadian bacon. I cooked it then minced it. Instead of an entire red onion I used about half of one, diced. I omitted the mushrooms. I reduced the sunflower seeds to 1/3 cup. Instead of fresh squeezed oj I used some orange-tangerine juice. If using fresh oj I'd zest the orange and include it in the dressing. I only used a pinch of white pepper because mine seems unusually strong. I'd say this would serve 8 as a side dish. I used lowfat mayo (1 gram of fat per serving). If making ahead do not dress until ready to serve. Pasta absorbs dressing.
either way ... I prefer to stick the florets in about 1/4" water, cover with wax paper and quick microwave them for 2-3 min...just until they turn bright green, but are still crisp ... In fact, I do that for veggie dip platters too, since they look prettier and are easier to eat when slightly tender....
If you don't want to take the time to blanche the broccoli, you can use the broccoli slaw found in the produce section. The broccoli is raw but it is cut in small pieces and works well in pasta salad. Yummy!
Good luck!
I do raw.. My favorite pasta salad is about 2 cups of broccoli, half red onion chopped, 1 c black olives, 1/2 c chopped sundried tomatoes, 2 cups med shrimp, and about 20 cherry tomatos cut in half, and 1 cucumber cut in half then sliced. Add pasta and dressing of choice....YUMMY.
I'd blanch it to set the bright green color.