Dawn Black
Deliciously Dawn
July means hot sunny days, back yard barbecues, family reunions, camping, picnics and the list goes on. Pasta salads are always a big hit at any meal with many variations and you probably have a couple of your own family favourites. A couple of my favourites include sun-dried tomato pesto salad and pizza pasta salad. These are easy to make, can be made in advance and are great additions to any meal.
Sun dried tomato pesto salad
Makes four servings but is easily doubled.
Dressing:
3/4 of a cup of Kraft Classic Herb Dressing
1 cup of fresh torn basil leaves
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
1/3 cup of oil packed sun dried tomatoes
Place these ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until almost smooth.
In a large bowl combine three cups of Rotini pasta cooked and cooled
1/2 cup of thinly sliced zucchini
3/4 cup of sliced cherry tomatoes
Mix in dressing mixture, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Note if salad looks a bit dry you can mix in extra pesto before serving.
If you like the flavour of cold pizza this recipe is for you! The flavours blend together in harmony for a cool delicious salad reminiscent of cold pizza.
Pizza Pasta Salad
1/2 pound of flat noodles
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Cook pasta noodles, drain well and mix with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Refrigerate over night or until cold.
Julienne the following:
One small red pepper
One small green pepper
3 ounces of pepperoni
One cup of zucchini
3/4 cup of cherry tomatoes cut into half
2/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup chopped parsley (optional)
1/2 cup of Greek style olives drained
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
Vinaigrette:
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dried basil
Half teaspoon of salt
1/4teaspoon of oregano
pepper to taste
Add the vegetables and vinaigrette to the noodles and mix well. Refrigerate for at two hours before serving.