Pasta Salad Stuffed Peppers Recipes

THREE PEPPER PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place pasta in the pot, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
• In a blender or food processor, blend the olive oil, white wine vinegar, basil, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper until smooth.
• In a large bowl, toss together the cooked pasta, dressing mixture, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, orange bell pepper, tomato, and olives. Top with mozzarella cheese to serve.

PASTA STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut the top off of each pepper and carefully scoop out the seeds and membranes.
• Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until very "al dente".
• Drain pasta and run cold water over the pasta to stop the cooking process.
• In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, tomatoes, basil, garlic, two cheeses, olive oil, and seasonings.
• Place the peppers standing up in a baking dish.
• Stuff each pepper with the filling and then place the top back on.
• Bake the peppers for about 35 minutes, or until the peppers start to wrinkle and blister.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

PASTA STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes less than the package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water, then set aside.
• Cut the tops off the peppers. Remove and discard the stems, then finely chop the pepper flesh from the tops and set aside. Scoop out the seeds and as much of the membrane as you can. Place the peppers upright in a baking dish just large enough to accommodate them.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion and diced pepper tops. Cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Italian sausage, crumbling it as you go, and stir until it is cooked and nicely browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the marinara sauce and black pepper, then remove the skillet from the heat. Fold in the ricotta, half of the shredded mozzarella and the reserved pasta. Stir until well combined. Divide the mixture among the prepared peppers. Top the peppers with the remaining mozzarella and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Add 1/2 cup water to the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the peppers are soft and the cheese is bubbly, another 15 minutes.
• Serve garnished with fresh basil.

GRILLED MEDITERRANEAN SALAD STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Stuffing -- In a large bowl, add the beans, artichokes, olives, spinach, tomatoes, onion, scallions, parsley, basil, red wine vinegar, olive oil and oregano and mix well to combine. Add the feta and toss lightly.
• Peppers -- Cut a small thin slice off each pepper on the bottom so the pepper will sit flat, but don't cut all the way through. Stuff each pepper with the stuffing mixture and then rub or brush olive oil on the outside of the pepper.
• Grill -- I grilled mine on medium heat, but on a cooler part of the grill (or indirect heat) so it isn't over direct flames. You don't want the peppers to burn. The pepper will take about 20-25 minutes. Note: If needed, you can place a piece of foil (large enough to accommodate the 8 peppers) on the grill, so if the peppers start to get too brown on the bottom you can transfer them to the foil and they will continue to cook but won't burn. The last 3-4 minutes, top with the Kasseri cheese. Cook until melted.
• Serve -- Just enjoy them.
• Note: These can also be made in the oven, but they don't have the same flavor. The smoky flavor is what makes these so good.

ROASTED PEPPERS WITH SPAGHETTI STUFFING

Steps:

• Place bell peppers directly over the flame of a gas-stove burner and roast, turning with tongs, until blackened all over. (Or roast peppers under the broiler.) Transfer to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand 15 minutes. Peel off skins, slice off tops, and remove ribs and seeds.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Cook pasta 2 minutes less than instructed on package. Drain.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high. Swirl in oil to coat, then add anchovies, breaking them up with the back of a spoon until dissolved. Add onion and capers and cook, stirring occasionally, just until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Pour in vinegar and cook, stirring frequently, until almost evaporated. Add pasta and toss to coat.
• Generously season cavity of each pepper with salt, then fill with a heaping 1/2 cup pasta mixture, twirling pasta with a fork to fit snugly. Place peppers side by side in a 2-quart oval baking dish. Bake until pasta starts to brown in a few spots, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving, topped with oregano.

SALAD STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta shells in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until chilled.
• Combine salami, romaine lettuce, roma tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion in a large bowl; pour balsamic vinaigrette dressing over salad and toss to coat. Stuff pasta shells with lettuce mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

STUFFED PEPPER SPAGHETTI BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F.
• Heat large pot of water to boiling; season generously with kosher salt. Boil spaghetti 3 minutes less than time indicated on package -- it should be quite flexible but still firm in center. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water; drain, and set aside.
• Meanwhile, in 10-inch skillet, cook beef with a dash of salt and a few grinds of pepper, breaking it up as it cooks, until browned. Remove beef from skillet with slotted spoon to plate; set aside. Wipe out skillet; add olive oil. Add bell peppers, onions and garlic with a pinch of salt; cook about 5 minutes or until softened.
• Add beef back to skillet, followed by both cans of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine; simmer 5 minutes. Taste sauce for seasoning; add salt if needed. Add cooked pasta and half of the pasta water, tossing to coat -- add more pasta water if you want thinner sauce.
• Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray. Spread mixture in baking dish; top with cheese.
• Cover with foil. Bake 20 minutes; remove foil, and bake about 10 minutes longer or until cheese is bubbling. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

KALE PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain pasta well.
• Combine pasta, kale, carrots, cherry tomatoes, olives, cucumber, bell pepper, and shallot in a bowl. Stir together Greek dressing and mayo in a bowl and drizzle over salad. Mix until well combined.