Need an easy, crowd-pleasing dish to serve at home or bring to a summer pot luck? This is it!
It takes almost no time to make and best yet…it tastes even better the next day after all the flavors blend overnight.
INGREDIENTS
DRESSING:
NOTE: DOUBLE THE INGREDIENTS IF YOU’RE MAKING THE PASTA SALAD IN ADVANCE. IT WILL NEED MORE DRESSING!
NOTE: DOUBLE THE INGREDIENTS IF YOU’RE MAKING THE PASTA SALAD IN ADVANCE. IT WILL NEED MORE DRESSING!
- 2 TBS chopped shallot
- 1/2 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Red pepper flakes if you want a little kick
Mix all ingredients together. Taste and adjust vinegar and oil to your taste. I like mine tangy.
PASTA SALAD
- 1 – 9 oz. package Buitoni three cheese tortellini
- 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces, blanched in boiling water for 3 minutes, or until crisp/tender. Immediately dip into ice cold water to stop the cooking process and preserve the color
- 1/2 red onion, cut into bite size pieces
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin slices
- 12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 stalks celery, cut into bite size pieces
- 1/2 green pepper, cut into bite size pieces
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
All the veggies should be cut to about the same size. I like to pat the asparagus dry with a tea towel so it isn’t soggy.
Cook pasta according to directions on the packet, drain and put in a large bowl. While it’s still hot pour 1/4 of the dressing on the pasta and stir.
Gently stir in the remaining ingredients. Add the rest of the dressing and toss. Crumble feta cheese on top and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
At this point you could spoon it into a bowl and serve, but it’s really better if you wait until the next day. You can’t imagine how good all the flavors are when they marinate in your fridge overnight. You might need to add a little more vinaigrette in the morning.
This is just one version you can make. I usually add blanched broccoli, but realized when I got home from the market I forgot to buy it so I substituted the asparagus. You can use just about any veggie you like in this dish. Don’t like feta? No problem…add blue cheese or Parmesan.
The important thing is to have fun making….and eating it.
Enjoy!
And around the world we go! Welcome to my new readers in Guernsey, Denmark and Sri Lanka. Remember you can read all about Laguna Beach at StuNews.
Categories: Everything Italian, Soups & Salads
Tags: asparagus pasta salad, chilled tortellini, pasta salad with feta, summer tortellini salad
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.