I recently attended a catered anniversary party at my mom's place in Gilroy, and while everything was delicious, I was especially attracted to the pasta salad.
There was a lot of food left over and I had planned to take some back home with me on the day I left, so I wouldn't have to cook. A portion of that pasta salad was set aside in the refrigerator for me to take home. But what do you think happened? I got all the way back home and prepared to fix dinner, when I realized that out of all that food, one thing was missing! That's right, my precious pasta salad was still sitting in my mom's refrigerator!
Now, I admit this doesn't sound like any real tragedy, but I really loved that salad. So, the next day I went to the store and bought ingredients to try and duplicate it.
Copycat pasta salad
- 1 package (12 ounces) tri-color pasta spirals
- 2 small cans sliced ripe olives, drained
- 8 ounces roasted red bell peppers, diced (such as Mezzetta brand that comes in a jar)
- 2 small jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (save marinade)
- 3 cups frozen corn kernels, cooked, drained and cooled
- 3/4 cup red onion, chopped
- 1 dry packet of Good Seasons Zesty Italian salad dressing mix
- Olive oil and cider or wine vinegar (for mixing the dressing)
- Lawry's Seasoned Salt, to taste (don't overdo, as there will be additional seasonings in the dressing)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Cook pasta according to package directions (make sure it doesn't get overcooked, as this can happen very quickly if you get distracted). Pour into a colander and cool under running water; drain thoroughly and set aside.
- In a large serving or mixing bowl, combine olives, red peppers, artichoke hearts, corn and red onion. Add pasta spirals and mix lightly; season with the Lawry's salt and the pepper.
- Prepare the salad dressing as directed on package (use some of the reserved artichoke marinade as a replacement for part of the water the directions call for); pour desired amount (I found I needed the whole amount) over the pasta salad and mix well.
Chill several hours before serving, stirring the mixture once or twice during cooling time.
Spaghetti salad
- 1 lb. thin spaghetti, cooked and drained
- 1 bottle Wishbone Italian salad dressing
- 2 tomatoes, preferably Roma or any home-grown kind, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 6 green onions, sliced
- 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
- 1 small can sliced ripe olives, drained
- Parmesan cheese, grated
- In a large bowl, place spaghetti and tomatoes, bell pepper, green onions, cucumber and olives; mix well. Pour in half the bottle of salad dressing and mix again.
- Refrigerate salad for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight), then pour the remaining salad dressing over the mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.
Copycat tropical crab salad
I used to buy a pasta salad at a grocery store deli, but decided I could make it myself at home. I will try to describe how I do it, but must apologize for not having measured things!
- 2 packages small shell-shaped pasta
- 2 packages imitation crab meat, coarsely chopped
- 2 cans pineapple tidbits (different than "chunks") canned in juice, drained (reserve juice)
- 2 cups finely diced celery
- 1 cup (or more) finely diced onion (such as the large white sweet ones)
Dressing:
- Mayonnaise (about 1 1/2 cups)
- Lemon juice (about 2 tblsps.)
- Cider vinegar (about 2 tblsps.)
- Sugar (about 2 tblsps.)
- Celery seed (about 1 tsp.)
- Seasoned salt, to taste
- Onion, grated fine (about 2 tsps., plus any onion juice from grating process)
- Cook shell pasta according to package directions; drain well.
- In a large mixing or serving bowl, mix pasta, crab, pineapple, celery and onion.
- Mix all dressing ingredients together; pour over pasta mixture and blend well. Chill salad several hours before serving.
Italian market pasta salad
This recipe was provided by Better Homes and Gardens.
- 4 ounces packaged, dry mafalda (a flat, wide, ribbon pasta, similar to a lasagne noodle), large bow tie or campanelle (fluted, petal-like edges and a hollow center for capturing sauce) pasta
- 6 cups spring greens
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 1/2 cup (2 oz.) crumbled Gorgonzola, blue or feta cheese
- 3 tblsps. olive oil
- 3 tblsps. white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
- If using mafalda, break into irregular pieces, 2 to 3 inches long. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.
- In a large salad bowl, combine cooked pasta, spring greens, tomatoes and cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar, tossing to coat. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Divide salad evenly among 4 dinner plates. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Makes 4 main-dish servings.
