Primavera Pasta Salad Recipes

PRIMAVERA PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook and drain pasta as directed on package, adding pea pods for last minute of cooking. Rinse with cold water; drain.
• In very large (4-quart) bowl, mix bell peppers, carrots, basil and cheese. In small bowl, mix dressing and milk with wire whisk. Add dressing mixture, pasta and pea pods to bell pepper mixture; toss to coat.

SMOKY PASTA PRIMAVERA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add rotini, salt, and olive oil. Cook rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta, rinse with cold water, and transfer to a large bowl.
• Add red bell pepper, green bell pepper, Gouda cheese, and parsley to rotini.
• Pour balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Add soybean oil in a small stream, whisking constantly until mixture emulsifies. Mix in dill and garlic salt. Slowly drizzle just enough of the vinaigrette over the pasta mixture until the pasta glistens. You may not need all of the vinaigrette, so store any leftovers for another use.

PASTA PRIMAVERA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a large ice water bath. Add carrots to the boiled water, and simmer 2 minutes.
• Add squash, and cook 2 minutes more.
• Add broccoli and bell pepper, and cook 2 minutes more.
• Add sugar snap peas, and cook 2 minutes more.
• Scoop vegetables from simmering water with strainer. Transfer to ice water bath. Drain when cool, and pat dry.
• Bring pot of water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain, and rinse under cold water to cool.
• Meanwhile, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice in large serving bowl. Stir in shallots and garlic. Add pasta, blanche vegetables, tomatoes, and cheese, and toss to coat with dressing.
• Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

PASTA PRIMAVERA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.
• While pasta cooks, place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add asparagus, cover, and steam until tender-crisp, 2 to 6 minutes. Drain pasta and asparagus and chill until ready to use, at least 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, ranch dressing mix, dip mix, and Italian dressing mix in a bowl.
• Assemble chilled rotini, asparagus, ham, romaine, cucumber, and avocado in a large bowl. Top with mayonnaise dressing mixture and toss. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

PASTA PRIMAVERA

Steps:

• For the vegetables: Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and cook for 1 minute. Then add the broccoli; cook for another minute. Add the red peppers; cook 1 minute more. Remove the vegetables from the skillet and set aside.
• To the skillet, add the butter and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil; allow to heat up. Add the mushrooms, zucchini and squash, and cook until starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the skillet and add them to the other vegetables. Set aside.
• For the sauce: Add the garlic and onions to the skillet, and cook until starting to turn translucent, about 2 minutes.
• Next, pour in the chicken broth and wine; stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen all the flavorful bits. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until reduced by about half. Stir in the cream and Parmesan, and allow the cheese to melt. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
• Add the cooked vegetables to the sauce, along with the peas and basil; stir to combine. If the sauce needs a little more liquid, splash in a small amount of broth. Place the cooked pasta in a large serving bowl and pour all the contents of the skillet over the pasta; toss to combine. Sprinkle with extra basil, and serve with extra Parmesan.

PRIMAVERA PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water until no longer hot; set aside.
• To make the dressing, combine the mayonnaise, milk, sour cream, parsley, chives, mint, lemon zest and juice, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 2 tablespoons Parmesan in a small bowl. Set aside. Before tossing, splash in more milk if needed for thinning.
• In a large bowl, combine the pasta, broccoli, tomatoes, peas, asparagus, carrots and leeks. Pour over the dressing and toss to coat. Top with the remaining tablespoon of Parmesan and some black pepper. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

PASTA PRIMAVERA SALAD

Steps:

• Place a large pot of water over high heat. Shell fava beans and peas (keeping them separated). Snap woody ends from asparagus, and cut spears diagonally into 1-inch pieces. Cut haricots verts in half horizontally.
• When water boils, blanch each vegetable separately, cooking to taste. (Haricots verts and sugar snap peas should be blanched very briefly, about 10 seconds.) Reuse cooking water, placing each vegetable in a sieve and dipping it into boiling water for the duration of the cooking. Rinse blanched vegetables under cold water and allow to drain well. Peel and discard fava bean pods and the beans' thick translucent cover.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, and cook orzo according to package instructions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain well. Transfer to a large mixing bowl, and stir in extra virgin olive oil until pasta is well coated. Add vegetables.
• Add garlic oil to bowl, and season mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and 1/4 cup chives. Mix well, and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with remaining chives. Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed.