Pasta Salad Recipes

Total Time: 15 minutes plus chill time

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 6 oz dry pasta
• 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 large avocado
• 1/4 cup Parmesan, shredded or grated
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp cider or balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3/4 ounce fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 head lettuce

Steps:

1. Begin by boiling your pasta per package instructions, using salted water.

2. In a large bowl, add mayonnaise, green onions, avocado, Parmesan, garlic and sugar.

3. Use a fork to mash it all together until creamy and smooth.

4. Drizzle in vinegar and stir well.

5. Add chili powder, salt and pepper to taste.

6. Add tomato halves to the mixture, then tear in half the basil leaves. Stir well so the flavours and tomato juices mix in.

7. Drain the pasta, reserving a couple tablespoons of the starchy cooking liquid.

8. Pour pasta into the creamy sauce and stir. If you see it's a bit on the dry side, then add some of the reserved pasta liquid. Allow to cool in the fridge, covered, if desired. Tear in the rest of the basil leaves.

9. To serve, line bowls with lettuce leaves and place pasta salad in the middle. I like to add a tiny drizzle of vinegar to my lettuce for a punch.

How about your pasta and parmesan, mixed with italian dressing or garlic oil and vinegar?

I agree with the previous poster. Chill some pasta, add italian dressing, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. I like to add croutons to mine.

I just make up some tri-colored pasta, and use Good Seasons Italian Dressing on it. top with some grated parm cheese. Awesome! I think I will make some now! lol

Ranch dressing with bacon bits added to cooked pasta and parm is good too.

If you want something a little different, but still simple try this: instead of Italian dressing, mix half and half vinegar&oil dressing with pesto and top with feta cheese instead of parmesan. If I have a few minutes I'll also add some chopped zucchini and left-over chicken, but it's great even without the extras.

Whenever I make pasta salad I'm never sure how it's going to turn out. Sometimes I use pasta tomatoes, onions and cucumbers. Other times I use pasta, maybe some tomatoes, olives, onions. It just depends on what I'm in the mood for.

Hi. You will not want to believe it, but THE absolute best dressing for pasta is found at Dollar General. It's called Zesty Italian and it is $1 a bottle. I didn't believe it either, but try it! It's delicious! My favorite pasta salad is rotini, green peppers, carrots, onion, green olives, parmesan and hard salami. Pour on the DG dressing and let it sit for a couple hours. Stir and enjoy. Sometimes I make it with just the pasta and the green olives with the dressing and parm -- I love the saltiness of the olives. Boy, now I'm hungry!!

My recipe --
1 box rainbow spiral pasta, cooked
1 tomato chopped
1 onion, sliced
1/2 cucumber, chopped

this recipe actually won a free dinner at a local ponderosa type buffet.
It is simply the dressing you'd use for potato salad
mayo, mustard, pickle relish, a little vineagar.
Add to cooked , rinsed pasta anything you would put in a vegetable salad, except the lettuce. Cukes, radishes, tomatoes, onion, pepper, celery, celery seed . even pimento adds color and flavor. The longer it sits the better it is. Enjoy, Ceil

The trick to my pasta salad is the RED onion cut up VERY small!!!!
Gives it an awesome taste........along with everything else.........!!!
Cindy
Louisiana

"An easy, yet very yummy pasta salad. Almost any type of pasta may be used. Best if left to sit overnight."
Original recipe yield: 12 servings.

Prep Time:
15 Minutes
Cook Time:
12 Minutes
Ready In:
30 Minutes
Servings:
12 (change)

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked rotini pasta
* 1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian salad dressing
* 2 cucumbers, chopped
* 6 tomatoes, chopped
* 1 bunch green onions, chopped
* 4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place pasta in the pot, cook for 8 to 12 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
2. In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta with the Italian dressing, cucumbers, tomatoes, and green onions. In a small bowl, mix the Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning, and gently mix into the salad. Cover, and refrigerate until serving.

pasta salad that we love is ;

olive oil, red wine vinegar and italian spices

we add crumbled feta cheese and small cherry tomatoes then small pieces of pepperoni cut up
it goes fast when I make this

My sister tells me she makes it with bottled Italian salad dressing and whatever she has in her refrigerator. She uses up all the leftover veggies. It can include peas, olives, cucumbers, etc. This is how she cleans out her refrig in the summer.

For a change, why not try it with mayo or salad dressing and tuna, etc.?

Get some Salad Supreme in the spice dept. It is a mix of spices. Cut up tomatoes, cukes and cauliflower if you like. Sprinkle about 1/2 bottle of the Supreme on these and let sit overnight. Then in the morning mix the veggies, do not drain, with the cooked noodles and pour Zesty Italian dressing over all. Delicious!

I use Good Seasons Italian dressing and add whatever veggies I have. Will work great with just the pasta and parmesan!

thanks for all the great ideas!!!!!!!!!

Suggestion: Instead of using parmesan cheese that comes in a can and is finely grated, use cheese cubes. I had it once and it was fabulous.