Hot Pasta Picnic Salad Recipes

SUMMER PICNIC PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Tear corner of Ready Pasta pouch to vent, then microwave for one minute.
• Cut tomatoes in half and combine with pasta, adding in Italian dressing and basil.
• Season with salt and pepper and top with cheese.

CONTEST-WINNING PICNIC PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook spiral pasta and tortellini according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water. Place in a large bowl; add the artichokes, broccoli, provolone cheese, salami, peppers, beans, olives, onion and garlic. , Prepare salad dressing according to package directions; pour over salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

THE PERFECT PICNIC PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk Dijon mustard, cider vinegar, rice vinegar, salt, sugar, and cayenne together in a large bowl for about 30 seconds. Whisk in olive oil in 1-teaspoon increments until emulsified. Whisk in tarragon, dill, parsley, chives, and thyme. Remove and reserve 1/2 of the dressing in a separate small bowl.
• 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. Add snow peas, carrots, peas, and broccoli about 2 minutes before the pasta is done. Drain pasta and veggies well, but do not rinse.
• Transfer hot pasta mixture to the vinaigrette in the large mixing bowl and toss well to combine. Let rest for 5 minutes and toss again. Toss occasionally until the mixture is almost room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, green onions, salt, and the reserved dressing and toss well.
• Wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours before serving. Toss and adjust seasoning before serving.

CLASSIC PICNIC PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Whisk the mayonnaise, parsley, sour cream, chives, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper together in a large bowl.
• Cook the broccoli in the boiling water until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander. Run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Add the broccoli to the bowl with the dressing.
• Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Three minutes before the pasta is done, add the peas to the pot. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Add to the bowl.
• Add the ham, provolone, olives, onion and salami to the bowl and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. The pasta salad is best if served right away.

SUMMER PICNIC PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Blanch broccoli and asparagus in boiling salted water, and plunge into ice bath to stop cooking.
• Cook pasta until al dente.
• Rinse with cold water and drain.
• Toss pasta with chopped vegetables.
• Mix first 5 ingredients of dressing, and slowly whisk in oil.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Toss dressing with pasta and vegetables.
• Chill until ready to serve.

LIGHT PICNIC PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine macaroni, chicken, broccoli and onion. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Cover; refrigerate until chilled.

PICNIC PASTA SALAD -- ONE DISH MEAL

Steps:

• Mix all salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
• Whisk dressing ingredients together until smooth and well-blended.
• Toss salad ingredients with dressing until well-blended.
• Let sit, refrigerated, at least 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.
• Note: Additional vegetables can be added substituted if desired. Frozen broccoli florets or chopped cucumber are particularly good. But if you add a lot of extra veggies you might need an extra half batch of dressing.
• Note: It is not necessary to thaw the frozen veggies if making it the night before.
• Note: Fresh beans, snapped to size, can be used raw for a crisper texture or they can be blanched and cooled first.

KIDS' PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Fill a medium saucepan with hot water from the tap until it's three-quarters full. Set the pan on the hob. Season the water with a pinch of salt, then turn the heat to medium-high - the water should start to boil after a minute or so. Slowly tip the pasta into the boiling water - do this carefully, as any splashes could burn your skin.
• Holding the handle of the saucepan with one hand (use a cloth if it's hot), carefully stir the pasta with a long wooden spoon in the other hand - this will prevent the pasta from sticking together. Set a timer for 10 mins. Stir the pasta every minute or so, and keep checking the heat to make sure the water is gently boiling while the timer counts down.
• While the pasta cooks, measure 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar and 1 tsp dried oregano into a mixing bowl. Season with some salt and black pepper, and mix well - this will make a zingy dressing for the pasta.
• When the timer beeps, it's time to check if the pasta is cooked. To do this, scoop one piece of pasta out of the boiling water using the wooden spoon, tip it onto a plate and leave it to cool slightly. Taste the pasta: if it's soft, it's cooked through, but if it's still a little hard in the middle, it needs to cook for a bit longer. Set the timer for another 2 mins, then check again.
• Place a large colander or sieve in the sink. When the pasta is cooked, turn off the heat and, using two hands, carefully carry the saucepan over to the sink and tip the pasta into the colander to drain away the hot water. Leave to cool for a few minutes in the colander, then tip the pasta into the mixing bowl with the dressing. Mix together until the pasta is coated in the dressing.
• Put a chopping board on a work surface. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half by pinching each one between your thumb and index finger, and carefully slicing through the middle of the tomato with a small serrated knife. Slice the pitted olives in the same way, then tip all the tomatoes and olives into the pasta.
• Put the cucumber on the chopping board and cut it in half lengthways. Lay the two halves on the board cut-side down, so they don't roll around. Cut each piece in half again, so you have four long, chunky pieces. Cut across the cucumber pieces in the other direction so you end up with small cucumber triangles. Tip these into the bowl with the pasta, tomatoes and olives.
• Put the onion on the board and hold it securely. Cut off the pointy end, then cut the onion in half through the root end. Peel away the papery outer layers until you're left with just the shiny onion underneath. Lay each onion half on the board, cut-side down so it doesn't roll around. Holding onto the root end, carefully slice the halves into half-moon shapes, as thinly as you can. Stop when you get to the root. Tip the onions into the bowl.
• Crumble the feta cheese into small pieces over the bowl, then gently mix everything together until well combined. Eat straightaway, or chill for up to a day before eating.

PICNIC PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Rinse with cold water; drain.
• Mix tomato sauce, dressing, basil and oregano in large bowl. Add pasta and remaining ingredients; toss. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours until chilled but no longer than 48 hours.