Dish of Pasta Salad #2
(click to enlarge)

Pasta Salad #2


North America
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 3 #
**
3 hrs
Yes		 This Italian style salad is attractive and delicious. It is good for buffets as it will not wilt and is easy to serve. Can be made ahead.

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8
8
5
4
4
4
17
1/3
1/2
2/3
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1/2
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oz
oz
oz
oz
oz
oz
c
c
c
t
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c
-- Salad
Pasta dried (1)
Grape Tomatoes  
Mozzarella balls (2)
Bell Pepper red
Cucumber (3)  
Red Onion
Olives blk (4)
Pepperoncini
Basil Leaves
Salt
-- Dressing
Italian Dressing (5)  
Do Ahead   -   (60 min - 20 min work)
  1. Cook PASTA in salted water as for any other use, except go a little longer than "al dente" as it will stiffen when cold. Drain and tumble with a little Olive Oil so it doesn't stick together. Let cool completely.
  2. Make Italian Dressing if not on hand.
Make   -   (45 min + cooling - you can mix as you go)
  1. Cut GRAPE TOMATOES in half crosswise.
  2. Cut MOZZARELLA as needed, see Mozzarella.
  3. Cut BELL PEPPEER into about 3/8 inch dice.
  4. Cut CUCUMBER into about 3/8 inch pieces.
  5. Quarter ONION lengthwise, then slice fairly thin crosswise.
  6. Pit OLIVES and cut in half crosswise.
  7. Cap and seed PEPPERONCINI and slice about 1/8 inch. Measure is after slicing lightly packed.
  8. Chop BASIL coarse. Measure is after chopping, lightly packed.
  9. Tumble together all Salad items and refrigerate until serving time. Within 1/2 hour of serving time, tumble in Dressing.
  10. Serve cool or cold.
NOTES:

  1. Pasta:

      Choose a pasta complex enough to hold dressing well.

  2. Mozzarella Balls

      This should be Fresh Mozzarella if possible. I use 1 inch mini balls and cut them in half. If you have some other shape, cut into about 3/4 inch chunks.

  3. Cucumber:

      Persian Cucumbers are preferred, as they are a small size and don't need to be peeled. If you have only the standard green blimps, peel, seed, and then weigh.

  4. Olives:

      These should be black Kalamata olives, which are fairly large.

  5. Italian Dressing:

      This should be clear Italian dressing, not creamy. For a simple recipe see our Italian Dressing. Italian Dressing is not used in Italy, which makes this recipe "Italian style".
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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