The Perfect Picnic Pasta Salad Recipes

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.

PICNIC PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to boil and add a generous amount of salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to the package directions.
• Meanwhile, prepare the vinaigrette. Zest 1 lemon into a large mixing bowl. Add the juice of both lemons, honey and some salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. While continuing to whisk, slowly pour in the olive oil to emulsify the mixture into a light dressing.
• When the pasta is cooked, drain and immediately pour into the large mixing bowl with the lemon-honey vinaigrette. Toss the pasta with the walnuts, apricots, lemon thyme, mint and radicchio. Gently toss to combine and pour into a serving dish. Serve at room temperature or store, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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.

PICNIC PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, toss pasta, corn, tomatoes, zucchini and olives; set aside. In a jar with tight-fitting lid, combine all of the dressing ingredients; cover and shake well. Drizzle over salad; lightly toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

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.