Do you have a super delicious recipe for pasta salad?!
Do you have a super delicious recipe for pasta salad?
One with a reasonable amount of ingredients and nothing too out of the ordinary.
Answers:
This is a super easy, super yummy recipe and you can "tweak" it to suit your taste. Start with your favorite pasti....rotini, bowtie, macaroni, linguini whatever you like. Buy your favorite brand of Italian dressing; I like the one with red wine vinegar from Kraft. So start by boiling your pasta in salted water with a little olive oil. If you aren't vegetarian you can add a little chicken boullion to the water too. When it is cooked very "al dente" pour it in a colindar and rinse off with cool water. After it is well drained, dump it in a mixing bowl and pour the dressing over it, using enough to really moisten it, then put the bowl in the fridge. While the pasta is soaking up the dressing, prep all the items you want in your salad. The choice is up to you! Here is a list of some items....
*diced red onions
*green, red and/or yellow peppers
*green peas
*diced pepperoni/salami/ham/turkey
*string cheese sliced into "coins"
*shredded cheddar
*diced celery
*shredded carrot
*purple cabbage
*or anything you have hanging out in the fridge!
After your pasta has sat in the fridge for at least an hour (this gives it time to soak up the flavorful goodness of the Italian dressing) mix in all your ingredients then finish it off with some good old mayo! Use as much as you like but add slowly....a little mayo goes a long way! You can eat it right away but it gets even better if it can go back in the fridge for a half hour or so. Try serving it on a bed of baby field greens with sliced Roma tomatoes....Yum! This salad has a refridgerator shelf life of about fives day as long as you don't mix tomatoes INTO the salad. The acid breaks down the mayo much quicker. That's why I serve the tomatoes on the side! Good luck & enjoy!!!
as the dressing, use Paul Newman Italian. great in past salad.
I'm not a huge fan of pasta salads, but one simple pasta salad I've made is with Italian dressing, a bit of shredded carrot and green pepper, some Italian spices, and spiral noodles.
i like using the tri colored pasta then adding itialian dressing, artichoke hearts and hearts of palm
PIZZA PASTA SALAD
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Pasta Salads
Quick
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ ------------------------------...
1 lb Rotini, Twists or Spirals
-- uncooked
3 oz Sliced pepperoni
4 oz Sliced Provolone cheese
12 Cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c Grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c Italian salad dressing
-- (non-fat)
1 t Italian seasoning
1/2 ts Minced garlic
1 Green bell pepper
-- (seeds and ribs removed)
-- sliced into rings
2 1/2 7-inch rounds of pita bread
Prepare pasta according to package directions. While
pasta is cooking, cut pepperoni slices into fourths
and slice the Provolone cheese into matchstick-size
pieces. Place in a large bowl. Add cherry tomatoes,
Parmesan cheese, Italian dressing, Italian seasoning
and garlic.
When pasta is done, drain and rinse with cold water.
Drain again. Add pasta to cheese mixture and mix well.
Quarter the pita bread rounds and place around a large
platter. Top with pasta salad and garnish with green
pepper rings.
Each serving provides: 464 Calories; 215 g Protein; 53
g Carbohydrates; 17.9 g Fat; 36.7 mg Cholesterol; 915
mg Sodium. Calories from Fat: 35%
Copyright National Pasta Association
(http://www.ilovepasta.org) (Reprinted with permission)
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I like Good Seasons Italian Dressing.
Just chop up some raw veggies, add olives. boil the noodles (corkscrews are good) and add the dressing. The key is marinating overnight. You can add Cilantro or Italian Parsley.
Tri-colored spiral pasta
Green Olives w/ pimento (sliced, about the same about as black)
Black Olives (1 can sliced)
Froz peas (cooked)
Green onions (one or two stalks diced)
Kraft zesty Italian dressing (to taste)
A bit of Caesar dressing (to taste, I suggest Newman's)
If desired, a little balsamic vinegar... add only a tablespoon at a time.
why yes,i do.and it's perfectly ordinary and most delicious.everyone who's tried it has liked it.i got it out of Joy of Cooking,the new edition.
you need elbow macaroni,olive oil,red wine vinegar,plum tomatoes,olives,basil,parsely,... mint.cook the pasta,mix it with 3 tablespoons each of the oil and vinegar,then chop up everything else and mix together.come out quite well,with the mint making people go "hmmm..."
1 lb. garden rotini
1 cup Ranch Dressing
3/4 cup Barbecue sauce
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup Bacon Cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 cup cucumbers, peeled seeded and diced
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan cheese to taste
cook pasta. Rinse in cool water. Drain off excess water thoroughly. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and toss well. Add parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to
taste. Serves 6-8
Chilled Pasta Salad
rainbow rotini, cooked according to directions
celery, medium diced
cucumber, medium diced
green pimento stuffed olives, medium diced
green pepper, medium diced
tomato, medium diced
Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
Mix together rotini, celery, cucumber, olives, green pepper, tomato and dressing. Refrigerate until chilled. Noodles will absorb some of the dressing so a little more can be added prior to serving.
Pasta like gemelli anything spiral to hold the dressing.
Sun dried tomatoes-chop
Basal- dried or fresh
Calamata olives or any olives you like
zucchini quartered
Lot's of Italian dressing (and store bought is find)
You can also add feta or any other cheese and toasted nuts such as pine nuts.
Toss and serve!