Gimme a good pasta salad recipe!

[goofygirl]

In the summertime I crave macaroni/pasta salads! I want to make some good ones. Do you have a good recipe for an awesome pasta salad?


Lemme see them!

 

[piratesmate]

My favorite is:

1 lb tri-color rotini
1 jar 3-bean salad (15 oz?)
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts (6 oz)
1 bottle Newman's Own Balsmic Vinaigrette (or less, to taste)

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain & rinse lightly. Pour off the excess liquid from the 3-bean salad & artichoke hearts. It is not necessary to actually drain it though. Mix all ingredients & chill.

A variation . . . .
1 lb rotini
16 oz pkg frozen veggie medley (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower)
1/2 green pepper
1/2 red pepper
1 - 2 tomatoes
shredded mozarrella
pepperoni, cut into slivers
1 bottle Newman's Own Original (oil & vinegar) - or less, to taste
black olive slices, optional

Cook pasta according to directions, drain & rinse. Defrost veggies, clean & chop peppers & tomatoes. Mix in veggies, cheese & pepperoni. Pour dressing over & chill.

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I've made this one with a Chinese themed meal. It was kind of good - even DH liked it & he disliked peanut butter!

Cold Sesame Noodles
from China in EPCOT - Food & Wine Festival

4 oz. egg noodles
4 oz. napa cabbage, shredded
4 oz. red peppers, shredded
4 oz. snow peas, shredded

Sauce
2 oz. peanut butter
2 oz. sesame paste
1 oz. vegetable oil
1 oz. chicken base mixed with 1/2 C. water
1 oz. fresh ginger juice
1 oz. white vinegar
1 oz. sugar
1 oz. soy sauce
1/2 oz. garlic, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Boil noodles until soft, drain and leave in the refrigerator to cool. Mix all the sauce ingredients together until well blended. When ready to serve, top noodles with shredded vegetables and then with sauce.

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I prefer oil & vinegar-type dressings, but we thought this was good.

Shrimp Vermicelli Salad
Makes 10 servings

1 pound vermicelli pasta
1 pound cooked shrimp
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1 Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2 Toss cooled pasta with cooked shrimp, celery, parsley, garlic, thyme, mayonnaise, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Chill before serving.

d

 

[PamCo88]

My favorite Mac salad is:

1/2 pound of cooked elbows
1 can tiny shrimp (tuna size - drained)
1 can small peas (drained)
mayo
garlic salt
pepper

Mix elbows, shrimp, and peas with mayo to desired consistancy. garlic salt and pepper to taste.

eat or chill.

 

[Meriweather]

Here are some of our favorites


* Exported from MasterCook *

Pasta Fruit Salad

Recipe By :Taste of Home
Serving Size : 10 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Salads

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 cups uncooked medium pasta shells
20 ounces unsweetened pineapple chunks -- drained
1 large navel orange, peeled, sectioned and -- halved
1 cup halved green grapes
1 cup halved red grapes
1 medium apple -- chopped
1 large firm banana -- cut in 1/4" slices
8 ounces plain yogurt
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate

Cook pasta. Drain and rinse in cold water.
Place in a large bowl. Add the fruit.
Combine the yogurt and orange juice concentrate. Pour over salad and toss to coat.
Cover and chill for several hours.



* Exported from MasterCook *

Salami ''n Shells Salad

Recipe By :Taste of Home
Serving Size : 10 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Salads

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
7 ounces uncooked small pasta shells
1 cup cherry tomatoes -- halved
1 cup ripe olives -- halved
6 ounces mozzarella cheese -- cut in thin strips
4 ounces salami -- cut in thin strips
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
4 green onions -- sliced
Dressing
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons cider or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Cook pasta. Drain and rinse in cold water.
Place in large bowl. Add the next six ingredients.
In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the dressing ingredients. Shake well.
Pour over salad and toss to coat.
Sprinkle green onions over top.
Cover and chill until serving.



* Exported from MasterCook *

Summer Spaghetti Salad

Recipe By :Taste of Home
Serving Size : 16 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Salads

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
16 ounces thin spaghetti -- halved
3 medium tomatoes -- diced
3 small zucchini -- diced
1 large cucumber -- diced
1 medium green pepper -- diced
1 medium sweet red pepper -- diced
8 ounces Italian salad dressing
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Cook spaghetti. Drain and rise in cold water.
Place in large bowl. Add tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber and peppers.
Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over salad and toss to coat.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

 

[piratesmate]

Meriweather - That Fruit Pasta Salad sounds really good! I've never seen a pasta salad with fruit before, but it's on my list for this week now! DS may even eat it - he hates mayo and vinegar. I'm always looking for something that he'll eat as a side dish. (He usually gets chips when we have salads. )

d

 

[Meriweather]

Hope you all like it.
I was a bit skeptical at first. Tried it at a July 4th party and it was goobled up with lots of positive comments.
It's nice to have soemtning a little different

 

[goofygirl]

wow these all sound so good! I dont know which to try first!

 

[CamColt]

I usually make this for parties so thats why its such a large amount.

2 boxes elbow macaroni
1 jar sweet gherkins pickles
1 bag frozen chopped onions(thawed & drained)
1 bag frozen chopped peppers(thawed & drained)
mayonaise

Cook the macaroni. Chop up the pickles. Add the pickles, onions & peppers to the macaroni and mix well. Add mayo & some of the pickle juice until the macaroni is moist.

I will usually make it the day before Im serving it, so right before Im going to serve it, I add more mayo & pickle juice until it gets moist again.

 

[dopey423]

I bring this salad to every get together that we are invited too. Everyone loves it and asks for the recipe.

Strawberry Romaine Salad
1 head romaine lettuce - rinsed, dried, and chopped
2 bunches fresh spinach - chopped, washed and dried
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
1 Bermuda onion, sliced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons poppy seeds


Directions
1 In a large salad bowl, combine the romaine, spinach, strawberries and sliced onion.
2 In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, milk and poppy seeds. Shake well and pour the dressing over salad. Toss until evenly coated.

 

[piratesmate]

We tried Meriweather's Pasta Fruit Salad & really liked it! Of course, I never have everything on hand that a recipe calls for - so I made a couple of substitutions.

I didn't have any OJ concentrate; I used what I had - a Tropicana blend called 'Orange Strawberry'. I just used the amount called for - even though the consistency was different. I worried that there wouldn't be enough flavor, so I threw in a teaspoon of Almond Extract.

I didn't have plain yogurt - I used Vanilla.

My apples were too pithy & I didn't have any bananas. I added 2 peaches, diced and something new I picked up the other day: "raspberry pieces". I'm not sure exactly what they are - but they remind me of Craisins, only they taste like raspberry. Very yummy!

The only thing was that it made WAY more than I needed. We'll be eating it until at least Weds!

d

PS I got the Raspberry Pieces in our 'bulk food' aisle - not a brand-name-in-a-bag item.

 

[Beth E. (NJ)]

These all sound yummy as can be! I see pasta salad in my future.

 

[pixiedust218]

Here is our favorite:

1 lb tri-color pasta
1 med. onion chopped
1 med. tomato chopped
1 8oz. bottle Seven Seas Viva Italian salad dressing
1/2 bottle McCormick's Salad Supreme


Cook pasta according to directions on box. Drain pasta and put in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients with pasta and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate! Hope you enjoy!!

 

[My~Rumbly~Tumbly]

A couple we enjoy...

Shrimp Pasta Salad:

One box of cooked elbow, bowtie, tiny shell pasta (or whatever you like)
2 cans of the tiny shrimp, drained and rinsed
1/2 bag of frozen tiny peas (rinse under cold water until thawed)
1/2 cup of sliced scallions/green onions
1 cup of chopped tomatoes (I usually use 2-3 vine ripened tomatoes)
1 cup of sliced/diced pickling cucumbers
Hellmans to mix (as much or as little as you like)

Mix all together and serve as is or chilled. It's super yummy and goes with everything, but I especially liked it with steak, in my steak eating days. Also, you can use as little or as much of the ingredients listed above as you'd like.

Tortellini Salad:

2 packages of the 3 cheese Barilla (is that who makes it) dried tortellini (or a large package of frozen cheese tortellini). Cook according to package instructions and then immediately soak in cold water.

1/2 cup sliced scallions/green onions
8 oz block cheese (whatever you prefer) cut into cubes
2 half inch slices of ham from your deli, cut into matchstick thin pieces (whatever ham type you prefer)
1 head of romaine lettuce, sliced or torn thin/small
pint of cherry tomatoes, cut into halves.
Jar of italian dressing (again, your preference- I recently used Kens Steakhouse Italian with aged romano cheese- or something like that).

Mix all and serve chilled. Everyone raves about this salad when I bring it along, the shrimp one too for that matter. And both are very colorful.

(I had to come back in this morning and add the pickling cucumbers. I can't believe I forgot those!)