Recipe(tried): Collection: Pasta Salads

Hi Chrissy,

Here are a couple of the ones that are sure winners whenever I plan parties at home:

One of our very favorite pasta salad is Evelyn's Sun Dried Pasta Salad concocted by my good friend Evelyn who is a fabulous cook. She brought this over for one our get-togethers and it is soo good that I made 7 pans of it for my daughter's wedding buffet last summer.

Here is the recipe:

Evelyn's Sun Dried Tomato Bow Tie Pasta

1 lb. box Bow Tie Pasta
1 reg. bag of sun dried tomatoes (found by the fresh tomatoes in the produce section of grocer)
2 ripe fresh large tomatoes, chopped
1 can large black olives, drained and sliced
2 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic
3 large leaves fresh basil, minced
1 large sprig fresh oregano, minced
4 Tbsp. olive oil

Cook bow tie pasta according to package directions. Throw in all the sun dried tomatoes in the water too. Remove them when tender, separate and chop them.

Saute the chopped sun dried tomatoes, fresh chopped tomatoes, sliced black olives, garlic and all the fresh herbs in oil.

When veggies are tender, add salt and pepper to taste and garlic powder to taste. Mix well.

Drain pasta and put in large serving bowl, add veggie mixture to pasta and toss to coat well.

Serve as a side dish with chicken or fish or by itself for a luncheon or picnic. Can be served hot or cold. Travels well. Also, you can add grilled chicken slices over the pasta to serve as a complete meal.

Adreana's Greek Pasta Salad
Here's another winner from a friend:
Serves 6

1 pound rotini
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 1/4 ounces black olives, sliced
4 ounces feta cheese, drained & crumbled
3 green onions, finely sliced
16 ounces Italian salad dressing

Cook chicken in water to cover with 1 bay leaf. Bring to boil and cook for 30 min. or until juices run clear. Cool and remove skins. Or, you can cook chicken in frying pan until cooked through. Cut into bite size pieces.

Cook noodles and drain. Add all ingredients and mix well. Use only about half the bottle of dressing and then put the rest on the table in case someone wants more.

Serve warm or cold.

Artichoke Spiral Pasta Salad
And yet another tasty one:

1 box spiral pasta
1 jar of artichoke hearts in marinade, save marinade
1 small can of sliced black olives
chopped celery
chopped onion
8 oz. Italian salad dressing

Cook pasta al dente, rinse and combine with all the ingredients above. Cover and chill til ready to serve.

And this one always gets rave reviews, it is from my favorite cooking magazine, Bon Appetit:

Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad with Parsley Vinaigrette
For extra eye appeal, use tricolor pasta in this fresh-from-the-garden salad.
Makes 6 Servings

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 large garlic clove
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)

3/4 pound fusilli pasta

1 cup hickory smoke chips, soaked in water 30 minutes, drained

2 large ears fresh corn, husked
2 large zucchini, trimmed, halved lengthwise
1 large red onion, sliced into 3 large rounds

Blend parsley, vinegar and garlic in processor until parsley is finely chopped, scraping down sides of bowl twice. With machine running, gradually add 1/2 cup olive oil. Season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta. Rinse under cold water and drain again. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in 2 tablespoons vinaigrette.

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Place smoke chips in 8x6-inch foil packet with open top. Set packet atop coals about 5 minutes before grilling.

Brush corn, zucchini and onion with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill vegetables until cooked through and beginning to brown, turning often, about 12 minutes. Cool slightly. Cut kernels from corncobs. Cut zucchini and onion into 1/2-inch pieces.

Add corn kernels, zucchini and onion to pasta in large bowl. Mix in enough vinaigrette to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

Bon Appetit, July 1997

Linguini Cold Picnic Pasta Salad

1 lb. linguni, cooked al dente
few chopped tomatoes
a bunch chopped scallions
small can of black olives, sliced
few dashes paprika
a dribble of olive oil
a few shakes of black pepper
many shakes of parmesan cheese
a lot of Kraft's Zesty Italian Salad Dressing

Rinse and dry linguini. Add all the ingredients and toss with fork to blend. Chill til ready to serve.

Pasta Lucia by the Picina
This one was made up for a day out by the pool last summer with guests.
This dish is as delicious cold

1 lb. bowtie pasta
1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
48 count shrimp, shelled, deveined and cut in half
1 bunch fresh arugula or spinach, trimmed, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
1 large ripe tomato, cut into bite-size pieces
Ground red and black pepper to taste
Grated Romano cheese

Cook pasta. Drain and set aside. Heat oil, add garlic, saute 1 minute.
Add shrimp, saute til pink and flip over.
Add arugula or spinach, saute 1 minute.
Add tomatoes, saute 1 minute.
Mix above with pasta, sprinkle with Romano and serve immediately.

Hope you get to enjoy all the ones everyone has posted, summer is just around the corner!!

Happy Cooking!!! Gina