Here’s a pasta salad that’s great for entertaining, you can bring it to your next party or serve it all summer long, it pairs perfectly with just about anything you put on your grill. It’s colorful, fresh and looks pretty on a platter!
You can prep everything ahead of time, placing it all on your platter and then just before your going to serve it, drizzle on the dressing.
I saw this salad in a BHG magazine and what attracted me to it was the broken lasagna noodles, a little different twist on your typical pasta salad which is usually made with bow ties or rotini pasta, plus I really loved the addition of green beans and tiny mozzarella balls.
The combination of flavors take this salad over the top! This could easily be a meal in itself or the perfect side dish for your next cookout. Time to fire up the grill!
Vegetable Pasta Salad with Broken Lasagna Noodles
Ingredients
Adapted from BHG magazine
8oz. dried lasagna noodles, broken into 3-inch pieces, or 3 cups of any pasta of your choice
2 cups fresh, cooked thin green beans, (haricots verts)
8 oz. bite size mozzarella balls
a handful of kalamata olives
1 small yellow squash, sliced into thin rounds on a mandolin
1 small zucchini squash, sliced into thin rounds on a mandolin
1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes, preferably multi colored
1 cup of arugula or spinach
½ cup of thin sliced red onion
2-3 oz, of salami cut into quarters
Instructions
Cook the pasta, rinse in cold water and pat dry.
Arrange all the ingredients onto a nice big platter.
Drizzle with a Lemon and Olive Oil Dressing or your favorite vinaigrette.
For Lemon and Olive Oil Dressing.
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
zest of 1 lemon
2 or so tablespoons of lemon juice
pinch of salt and pepper
1 garlic clove grated on a microplane
Whisk it all together until incorporated, feel free to double this!
source: prouditaliancook