Whole Wheat Pasta Salad With Walnuts And Feta Cheese Recipes

ALEX'S SIMPLE WHOLE WHEAT PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Place the pepper directly over a gas flame to char and cook, turning, about 3 minutes per side. Place the pepper in a bowl and let sit, uncovered, until cool enough to handle.
• Place the pepper on a cutting board. Remove the seeds and core and open the pepper up so it lies flat on the cutting board, charred skin-side up. Use a kitchen towel to wipe the charred skin away. Sprinkle the pepper with the sugar, then chop the pepper into 1/4-inch dice. Place the diced peppers back in the bowl and drizzle with the vinegar. Set aside.
• Bring 4 quarts water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add a generous amount of salt. (It should taste like seawater.) Cook the pasta, stirring from time to time, until "al dente" (chewy but not hard or raw tasting), 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
• Transfer the pasta to a large bowl and toss with the pesto. If the pesto is too thick, add some pasta water to thin it out. Place half of the pasta in a serving bowl, then top with half of the Parmesan and half of the roasted peppers. Top with the remaining pasta, Parmesan and roasted peppers. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.
• Pulse the basil with the garlic, sugar and salt in a food processor. Slowly stream in 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup water through the top of the machine, pulsing until almost completely smooth. Taste for seasoning. Add more oil if too chunky or dry. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan.

WHOLE WHEAT ROTINI PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot with lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Cook rotini at a boil until the pasta is cooked yet slightly firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain.
• Rinse the pasta with cold water until completely chilled; drain completely.
• While the pasta cooks, whisk the apple cider vinegar and olive oil together in a large bowl until blended. Stir feta cheese, basil, salt, and black pepper into the vinaigrette.
• Fold the asparagus, tomatoes, carrots, green onions, and garlic into the vinaigrette to coat evenly.
• Stir the cooled pasta into the vegetable mixture; toss until evenly mixed.

WHOLE-WHEAT PASTA SALAD WITH WALNUTS AND FETA CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta, rinse it under cold water, and put it in the refrigerator to chill.
• In a dry saute pan toast the walnuts over a medium-high flame until they are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Set the walnuts aside to cool then chop them coarsely.
• In a large bowl, toss together the chilled pasta, walnuts, feta cheese, onion, and spinach. In a small bowl whisk the oil, vinegar, garlic and mustard. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

WHOLE-WHEAT PASTA WITH BROCCOLINI AND FETA

Steps:

• Put the shallots in a bowl and cover with cold water. Soak for about 10 minutes; drain.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Fill a medium bowl with ice water and salt it as well. Add the broccolini to the boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the radish slices, and cook 30 seconds, more. Use a slotted spoon or strainer to scoop out the vegetables and plunge them immediately into the ice water. Drain the vegetables, pat them very dry.
• Add the pasta to the same pot of boiling water, and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 to 9 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Whisk the sherry vinegar, orange zest, the 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, to taste, in a large serving bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a steady stream, to make a dressing.
• Toss the rigatoni, broccolini, radish and shallot with the dressing. Add the feta cheese and toss lightly. Serve warm or room temperature.

WHOLE-WHEAT PASTA/CHEESE SALAD

Steps:

• In a large salad bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper sauce. Whisk in oil and green onions; set aside., Cook pasta in boiling water for 3-7 minutes; drain. In large bowl, combine the pasta, broccoli, red pepper and cheese. Drizzle with dressing; toss to coat. Refrigerate leftovers.

WHOLE WHEAT PASTA SALAD WITH WALNUTS AND FETA CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta, rinse it under cold water, and put it in the refrigerator to chill.
• In a dry saute pan, toast the walnuts over a medium-high flame until they are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Set the walnuts aside to cool then chop them coarsely.
• In a large bowl, toss together the chilled pasta, walnuts, feta cheese, onion, and spinach. In a small bowl whisk the oil, vinegar, garlic and mustard.
• Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.