Spring Vegetable Pasta Salad Food

SPRING VEGETABLE PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook noodles in boiling salted water until al-dente. Drain and rinse in cool water.
• Place drained noodles in a large bowl and add the next five ingredients. Mix well.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the dressing ingredients. Adjust salt if needed.
• Pour dressing onto the noodle/vegetable mix and toss to coat.
• Chill for several hours before serving.

PASTA SALAD WITH SPRING VEGETABLES AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Roasted ginger tomatoes:
• Preheat oven to 325°. Toss garlic, thyme, orange zest, ginger, tomatoes, orange juice, oil, brown sugar, salt, and a pinch of pepper in a 13x9" baking dish. Roast, gently tossing mixture every 20 minutes, until tomatoes are tender and just bursting but still intact, 50-60 minutes. Pluck out and discard thyme and orange zest.
• Charred peas and onions:
• Separate spring onion stems from bulbs. Cut stems in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 2" pieces. Slice bulbs through root end into quarters. Heat a dry medium skillet, preferably cast iron, over high. Add 1 Tbsp. oil, then sugar snap peas, and shake pan so sugar snaps spread out in a single layer. Cook, tossing once, until charred on both sides, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in same skillet. Add spring onion stems and bulbs, arranging in a single layer. Cook, tossing once, until charred, about 4 minutes. Transfer to bowl with sugar snap peas; season with salt.
• Pasta and assembly:
• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, transfer to a large bowl, and let cool, tossing around now and again to make sure it's not sticking.
• Add tomato mixture, sugar snap peas and spring onions, lemon juice, 1 1/2 cups basil, and 1 1/2 cups mint to pasta and toss gently to combine (you don't want to break up the tomatoes too much); season with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice if desired.
• Serve pasta salad topped with remaining 1/2 cup basil and 1/2 cup mint and a drizzle of oil.

SPRING GREEK PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cold water and drain well., In a small bowl, whisk oil, lemon juice, vinegar, water, garlic, salt and pepper until blended. Stir in oregano., In a large bowl, combine pasta, vegetables and, if desired, olives. Add vinaigrette and cheese; toss to combine. Refrigerate, covered, until serving.

SPRING VEGETABLE ORZO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a medium saucepan full of water to a boil. Turn off the burner, add in asparagus pieces and blanch for 2-3 minutes. While the asparagus is in the water, heat one tablespoon olive oil in a small sauté pan. Add in shallots and garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes, just until tender. Drain the asparagus and rinse with cool water.
• In a large bowl add cooked orzo pasta, asparagus pieces and sautéed shallots and garlic. Drain artichoke hearts and quarter them, adding them to the bowl. Add in sun-dried tomatoes with oil and lemon zest. Stir to combine.
• In a small bowl or container, whisk together lemon juice, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper. While continuously whisking, slowly pour olive oil into the vinegar. Once emulsified, stir the dressing into the salad. Move to the refrigerator for at least 5 hours for flavors to combine. Serve cold.