Me and my big mouth. For daNephew’s groom’s dinner this Friday I offered to make pasta salad and cole slaw.
Of course I said that, went and looked for my favorite cole slaw dressing recipe, and can’t find it. I remember it was a simple put sugar on the slaw then the dressing was vinegar, mayo, celery seed… can’t remember what else!!
And for the pasta salad - whenever I make it the noodles get sticky. Not like when you buy it at the deli. How do I have unabsorbant noodles???
What’re your favorite pasta salads?
(This is in addition to making the deserts and being the sole musician for the wedding. Oy vey.)
Prepare one box of tri-color rotini (twists), drain, allow to cool.
Dice up grape tomatoes, celery, red and/or sweet onion, and red bell pepper, mix in with the pasta in a large bowl. If you want to really be crazy, add some raisins or diced golden delicious apple for sweetness.
Add plenty of balsamic vinegar, EVOO–that’s extra-virgin olive oil :), basil (preferably fresh), red pepper flakes, oregano, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste, and toss like crazy (or shake it up, if you have a lid for your bowl). Let it chill in the fridge for plenty of time before serving.
Rinsing the noodles in cold water as soon as you drain them should help you avoid the sticking.
I’ve been making what we call Asian cole slaw for a while now, with ramen noodles and sprouts and broccoli slaw. No mayo involved, just olive oil, sugar, rice vinegar, a splash of soy and one seasoning packette from the ramen. It’s colorful and light and always goes over well and I like that I don’t have to worry so much about refrigeration if it’s an outdoor thing.
Yes, it’s the noodle rinsing that keeps them from sticking.
Here’s my antipasto salad:
Ingredients:
1 box Campagnelle pasta (or other medium-sized shaped pasta such as orichette)
6 oz. Hot Italian salami
2 bell peppers; one yellow and one red
1 can large black olives
8 oz. Marinated artichoke hearts
4 oz. Pickled asparagus
6 oz. Mozzarella cheese
½ C. Extra virgin olive oil
¼ C. Red wine vinegar
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Dried basil, to taste
½ tsp. Coarse salt
Directions:
Combine last five ingredients in serving bowl to make dressing, and whisk together.
Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. When pasta is done, remove from heat, and rinse in cold water until cool. Add pasta to serving bowl. Dice bell peppers, cheese, and salami. Roughly slice olives in large pieces. Slice asparagus in 1” long sections. Slice any over-large artichoke hearts.
Toss all ingredients with dressing, and chill.
Salad is best the second day. Of course, throw in whatever you like in an antipasto theme.
I made up the volume of ingredients when someone else asked for the recipe - just throw in whatever looks good to you.
1 bag/package multi-colored rotini pasta
4 scallions/green onions, finely diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 large cucumber, seeded, peeled and diced
6 Roma tomatoes or 3 large tomatoes, seeded and diced, OR halved grape tomatoes
—Other veggies you could put in it: broccoli, olives, a yellow pepper, etc.
1/2 cup mayonnaise (can use light)
1/2 cup sour cream (can use light)
Spices: salt, pepper, garlic powder, McCormick Salad Supreme (or any
seasoned salt-type stuff like Mrs. Dash, etc.)
Cook the pasta rinse under cold water. Cut the veggies into the
sizes/shapes you like. Mix the veggies and pasta. Add the mayo and
sour cream… these measurements are rough, just use whatever you like
to get the consistency you want. Then add the spices to taste. It’s
best when thoroughly chilled. So good!!
Dave Lieberman’s new cooking show “Good Deal” had a recipe for an Asian-styled slaw a few weeks ago. I don’t have the info in front of me; I’ll try to remember to post when I get home tonight.
I like that recipe! “Serve within one hour of dressing or it will get wilty and sad…”
Here’s my pasta salad off the top of my head - I don’t know the quantities. Just wing it!
Elbow macaroni, cooked
Miracle Whip (or mayo if you must)
diced jalapenos
chopped celery
chopped onion
chopped red bell pepper, or pimentoes, or roasted red peppers
celery seed
salt and pepper
dash of sugar
Looks pretty good, although I usually favor lazier dressing recipes myself.
I really like the broccoli slaw and sprouts combo, there’s cabbage and carrots in the slaw and it makes some crunchy and colorful summery goodness.
2 bags (16 oz) broccoli slaw
2 cups bean sprouts
1 cup sunflower seed kernels
1 cup toasted almonds
1/2 cup sliced green onion
Combine in large bowl and add 2 packages broken up ramen noodles.
Dressing is about 2/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup EVOO, 1/2 cup rice vinegar, 2 tbls soy sauce and 1 seasoning packet from the ramen (usually chicken for me, but they all work.)
The noodles will get soggy if it sets too long, so I pour the dressing on about a half hour before. Cooked and shredded chicken makes a great add in to make it more substantial, too.