Chopped Pasta Salad Recipe 445 Food

CHOPPED PASTA SALAD RECIPE - (4.4/5)

Steps:

• Put pasta water on first, top of lid so water boils quickly. Once pasta water is up to boil, salt the pasta water with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Boil pasta according to pasta box directions, drain pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside. Add broccoli florets to pasta water and cook 3 minutes, remove quickly and shock in bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside. Chop lettuces and soak for about 5 minutes in bowl of water to remove any remaining dirt. Lift lettuce out of bowl allowing any dirt to drop to the bottom, repeat this step if needed. Put lettuces and coleslaw in salad spinner and spin until dry, put lettuce in a large bowl and set aside. Slice tomatoes in half put in salad spinner, chop bell peppers and onions add to salad spinner. Slice ends off of cucumbers and discard. Slice cucumbers in half and with a teaspoon remove all the seeds out of the cucumbers. Slice cucumbers into strips and dice into small pieces. Add to salad spinner. Chop of the large end of the broccoli and cut florets into bit size pieces, add to salad spinner. Spin all the vegetables until dry and add to large salad bowl. Top salad with pasta, egg, and cheese. Add garlic powder, black pepper and creole seasonings. Pour rice wine vinegar and mix salad. Add olive oil and mix salad. Top with bacon if you like. Note: This is my base salad, sometimes I omit the pasta, sometimes I add chicken breast or shrimp. Please take this base salad and make it your own. If you don't like bacon (who doesn't) don't add it. Also, I serve this with extra salad dressing on the side. My baby girl does not like dressing she just loves the vinaigrette, I on the other hand likes to add ranch dressing to my salad.

COLD PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook the pasta, and then drain and let cool. Stir in the green beans, oil and mozzarella and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the lemon zest on top, mix well and serve.

ITALIAN CHOPPED SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• For the dressing: Place the vinegar, honey, Italian seasoning, garlic and some salt and pepper in a blender or food processor. While the machine is running, slowly drizzle the olive oil until the dressing is combined and emulsified. Adjust the seasoning if necessary, or add more oil if you want it less acidic.
• For the salad: Lay out the bacon in rows on the prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven on the upper rack and cook until crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. Once it is nice and crispy, chop it up for your salad.
• In a large bowl, combine the bacon, pasta, gorgonzola, romaine, cabbage, iceberg, tomatoes and red onions. Add the dressing and toss together until all is well coated. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

ITALIAN CHOPPED SALAD IN SHELLS

Steps:

• Cook pasta shells as directed on the package.
• Drain and cool.
• Place remaining ingredients except vinaigrette in a medium bowl.
• Pour vinaigrette over the salad, toss to coat.
• Stuff the shells with the salad.
• Cover and refrigerate 2 hours before serving.

PERFECT PASTA SALAD:

Steps:

• Mix together dressing first and set aside until sugar is dissolved completely.
• Cook pasta according to box directions and rinse under cold water until cool.
• Slice the sliced pepperoni circles in half and separate slices.
• Mix together with pasta and chopped items, except the provolone cheese.
• Pour dressing over it all and mix well.
• Chill well.
• Add provolone cheese to salad before serving, otherwise it gets soggy.
• You may have to add extra red wine vinegar or olive oil to get it to the desired consistency.
• Some people like it moist, others on the drier side.
• This is guaranteed not to last long before it is completely devoured!
• Enjoy!