Cold Pasta Salads - Your Way!

[kadesma]

kadesma - that sounds WONderful. What is in the "slightly sweet dressing"?
Thanks,

Sharon,
this just an about or idea recipe. I just mix it up and the amount depends on how large or small the salad is. I use some walnut oil, rice wine vinegar,sugar, a little dijon mustard and some mayo or heavy cream and some honey and OJ and just whisk everything together and pour over the salad. My daughter makes this salad to take to school functions and puts a curry dressing on it. Since it uses an egg yolk in it I don't make it myself and instead go with a sweet dressing.

kadesma

 

[SharonT]

Thanks for the prompt reply! This is going near the top of the 'try this soon' file.

/S

 

[kadesma]

Thanks for the prompt reply! This is going near the top of the 'try this soon' file.

/S

You're welcome, I hope you enjoy the salad as much as we do. It's a fun kind of salad and you can put just about anything on as a dressing and it seems to work.

kadesma

 

[Claire]

Don't forget couscous! Buy the plain Near East brand (any brand will do, just that in my travels I've found this most readily available). Reconstitute as instructed on the box. You can use plain water or chicken or veggie broth. Refrigerate. Then chop in cukes, tomatoes, green onions (or red onions, vidalias, or shallots -- something sort of mild). Lots of good olive oil and the juice of one lemon. I like Cavendar's Greek seasoning. Other good additions:

pine nuts, almonds, or pistachios
raisins or any dried fruit
turn it into the main dish with some leftover grilled lamb, beef, chicken;
boiled shrimp, etc.
crumbled feta cheese
just about any herb in your garden. Mint, chives, parsley
any citrus zest or lemon balm/verbena/grass

If you are serving it as the main dish, get a good flat bread and a bowl of good yogurt to accompany

Hmmm ... I think I've hit on tomorrow's supper!

 

[TATTRAT]

Penne Pasta
Black olives, red and green peppers, pulsed in a food processor
Crumbled fetta
pepperoncinis
Balsamic
olive oil
sugar to taste
Fresh chopped parsley
Lemon juise to taste...

Just combine and mix, simple but good.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I've never been a big fan of pasta salads (have had too many limp, overly-dressed versions), but do like salads made with elbow macaroni. They just seem to hold up better. Here's one I make all summer. All the additions are "to taste", & it makes a terrific luncheon or supper dish with a can or 2 of drained oil-packed tuna added.

1 box macaroni, cooked to al dente stage, rinsed thoroughly under cold water, & thoroughly drained
1 cup or more of frozen green peas, tossed in with the cooking macaroni during the last 5 minutes
Mayonnaise - to taste (I like Hellmann's)
minced sweet onion or shallot
chopped red & or green bell pepper
chopped celery
diced sharp cheddar cheese
diced turkey ham (or other ham of choice)
2 or more tablespoons of dill or sweet pickle relish
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients well & chill until serving.

 

[Corinne]

I make this so often every summer that I memorize the recipe. My husband is an avid cyclist & this is his carb of choice.

Pizza Pasta Salad

1 pound spiral macaroni cooked and drained
3 medium tomatoes diced & seeded
8 ounces cheddar cheese diced
1 bunch green onions (to 2 bunches) sliced
3 ounces pepperoni slices
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese grated
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
croutons optional

Instructions: In large bowl, combine macaroni, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, green onions & pepperoni.

In small bowl, combine oil, Parmesan cheese, vinegar & seasonings; pour over macaroni mixture.

Cover & refrigerate for several hours.

Top with croutons just before serving if desired.

 

[htc]

Just made one for the first time today. Bow tie pasta, crumbled goat cheese, diced cucumber & celery, roasted red pepper, green onion, kalamata olives (quartered), olive oil, garlic powder, salt/pepper & bitter orange seasoning salt. I liked it.

 

[karadekoolaid]

Here's one I whipped up a couple of weeks back as an appetizer:

Clive's Greek Pasta Salad
125 gms Lumache ( big shell pasta)
100 gms fresh navy beans ( any fresh beans will do - use canned if unavailable)
50 gms fresh baby cucumber, seeded and diced
50 gms red onion, diced
1 medium yellow bell pepper, roasted, skin removed, deseeded and cut into julienne
1 large tomato, deseeded and diced
50 gms Feta cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
100 ml ( about half a cup) extra virgin olive oil
a generous bunch of fresh herbs ( oregano, marjoram, parsley, thyme)
Sea salt
Black pepper.

If you find fresh beans, cook them in boiling water ( NO salt), with half the herbs,until tender. Drain and save the cooking liquid.
Cook the pasta shells until just al dente, using the cooking liquid (above) and more water if required. Add salt to the water.
Drain the shells and set aside.
Mix the cooked beans, cucumber, onion, yellow pepper, tomato, feta and garlic together. Add the olive oil, the chopped fresh herbs, salt and pepper. Mix gently together then leave to marinate for an hour.
Take spoonfuls of the vegetable/cheese mixture and fill the lumache (shells) with it.
Serve on a bed of baby lettuce.

 

[toni1948]

I like the shrimp in this one

I like Macaroni salad...
boil the maaroni till tender drain well
mix in 1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cups bell pepper
1/2 cups cucumber
1/2 cups shrimp
salt pepper
chill for about 1 hour...

I'm in the mood for a nice macaron/ishrimp salad. This sounds good.

 

[Robo410]

I like a tuna salmon ham chicken or turkey pasta salad. Make whatever is your norn and add pasta to it. I like mine with celerey and bell pepper, and sweet pickle if tuna or ham. Tortolini is great with corn relish mixed as a salad with chopped cucumbers. And Tabouleh is a pasta salad of sorts using bulgar wheat.

 

[bethzaring]

It's pasta salad time here..........is sooooooooo hot and humid. I just read through this thread to get some new ideas; gonna add some white beans simmered with a bay leaf and garlic, some chopped smoked ham and celery to my old stand by. I have to wait until tomorrow to make it because some of the tomaotes are still ripening in the garden!

 

[Dave Hutchins]

When I had my restaurant my signature salad was a pasta salad basicly it was spag aldenti and salami, parm cheese and olives and a load of fresh garlic, some diced cheder cheese, chopped green onions and red and green pepper Italian dressing kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper served cold. experament with it try some feta, different meat, jalapeno peppers,
try it have fun mix and match

 

[kitchenelf]

When I had my restaurant my signature salad was a pasta salad basicly it was spag aldenti and salami, parm cheese and olives and a load of fresh garlic, some diced cheder cheese, chopped green onions and red and green pepper Italian dressing kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper served cold. experament with it try some feta, different meat, jalapeno peppers,
try it have fun mix and match

This sounds VERY similar to one I make = I use a red wine vinaigrette, smoked gouda, cheddar, salami, red onion, ummmmmmm........ gosh, it's been awhile since I made it - I'll have to hunt down the numbered and signed, handwritten copy of my cookbook - and that would be um......number 1 of 1

 

[mercyteapot]

We've got 2 that we like a lot. The healthier of the two is gemelli, cukes, tomatoes and feta cheese. We just use Italian dressing. Both the feta and the Italian can be low-fat or fat free.

The other one uses a pound of tricolor rotini. Over that, you pour about 2 cups of ranch dressing (made from the mix is best, but bottled works). You let that sit overnight and in the morning, you pour a packet of Ranch dressing mix, a good handful of chopped fresh dill and about a quarter cup of heavy cream and stir that in. You let it sit another couple of hours. You will be surprised at home much ranch dressing the pasta absorbs. Right before serving, pour in yet more ranch dressing to make it creamy again, then top it with finely diced tomatoes, black olives and walnuts.