ISO: Pasta Salad

[BarbaraL]

Anyone have any recipes for a great pasta salad? I've been asked to bring one to a picnic. Since my family's not all that fond of pasta salad, I haven't made one in awhile and don't have a favorite recipe.

Thanks.

[KathrynY]

Hi Barbara - Someone made the CL Tortellini Spring Salad (I may not have the title exactly right) from April '01 for our supper club last night and it was tasty.

[donleyk]

Hi,

I wanted something different for Mother's day and found an Artichoke and Pasta salad in the recipe search. I thought it was great. I subbed sun-dried filled tortilleni (spelling?) but followed the recipe other than that. Yummy!

[Mandy]

One pasta salad that we like is Seasme Noodles. It's not quite a salad, but it can be served as a pasta salad.
Take some cooked pasta (we like linguine) toss with soy sauce. Chop up some green onions, saute them in some seasme oil, add to pasta. Sprinkle with seasme seeds. Toss together. Serves hot, cold or room temp. Very tasty!

[lorilei]

Definitely take a peek at these threads. There are some great pasta recipes floating out there...

Most recent request: http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/006071.html

Need Pasta Salad Recipes (2000): http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Archives/Archive-000001/HTML/20000717-1-000165.html

[buddie]

Pistachios Spaghetti Salad
1 cup olive oil
1 cup finely chopped green onions
1 tbsp minced garlic (i double)
1 1/2 pounds spaghetti noodles
1 1/4 cups coarsley chopped raw pistachios
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
salt and fresh ground black pepper to tast
1 bunch collard greens cleaned and stems removed for a garnish ONLY

1) Heat olive oil in saute pan over low heat. add onions and garlic and cook just to soften but not brown about 5-10 minutes

2) cook spaghetti according to package directions, until "al dente" drain well then rinse to stop cooking

3) pour oil mixture over noodles and toss well to coat evenly; add pistachios, parsley and basil and toss to evenly coat all ingredients

4) add parmesan and toss to coat evenly. add lemon juice toss. then season with salt and pepper

5) line serving bowl with collard greens. arrange pasta over leaves.

5-6 MAIN servings (this makes A LOT)

SPICY SESAME NOODLE SALAD
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (roll lime on table to soften it before cutting and squeezing)
3 tbsp canola oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp grated orange peel
2 small serrano chilies, steemed, thinly sliced into rounds

9 ounces of greens beans trimmed cut into 1/2 inch pieces

9 ounces linguine or soba noodles cooked to al dente

2 cups shredded peeled carrots
1 cup thinkly sliced green onion

stir first 8 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. season dressing with sald and pepper. let stand 30 minutes to blend flavors

cook green beans in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes then drain in COLD water

return water to boil add pasta and cook until al dente drain combine green beans pasta carrots green onions and dressing in large bowl. toss to coat season with salt and pepper..

can be made 6 hours ahead!

[gertdog]

Buddie, I am looking forward to trying the spicy sesame noodle salad you posted.

Our favorite pasta salad is a deli-style antipasto salad that I made up a few years ago. It's probably pretty standard, but we like it a lot.

We use the tri-colored spirals (usually a 1 lb. box). Cook, rinse in cold water, and put in a big bowl.

Add any or all of the following: blanched broccoli or cauliflower florets, small cubes of monterey jack or provolone cheese, shredded carrot, thinly sliced red onion, thin strips of bell pepper, rinsed drained chickpeas, diced pepperoni or salami if you eat meat. We usually end up with a high ratio of veggies etc. to pasta!

The dressing is a vinaigrette with mustard... about 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4-1/3 cup of red wine vinegar, a tablespoon or more of dijon mustard, a pinch of sugar, a pinch of crushed red pepper, several shakes of dried oregano and basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix it up and pour over the salad. Toss well. We usually hold back a bit of the dressing and stir it in just before serving (is it just me, or do pasta salads tend to absorb all their dressing as they sit?).

[cchhbb]

I use making pasta salad as an excuse for cleaning out the fridge and pantry. I will put in a ton of vegetables and whatever pasta shapes that I have on hand. I really like to use some fresh herbs for garnish.

[goldilocks]

I second the pasta salad that donleyk is refering to. It's got feta, spinach and artichokes and is delicious. Here's one of my own creations, not light at all, but really delicous and ideal for a picnic or a bridal/baby shower. You can make it the night before and refrigerate it:

Pesto Pasta Salad
2 lb. bowtie pasta (or penne, rotelle...)
1 tub pesto
1 jar sundried tomatoes in oil, drained
pinenuts, toasted
parmesean cheese

Boil pasta, drain and reserve some cooking water. Toss the pasta while hot with the pesto, drained sundried tomatoes and toasted pinenuts. Add a bit of pasta water if you need to. Top with cheese. You can serve hot or cold. Enjoy!