I need a good recipe for kicked up pasta salad.?

I am tired of all the same old same old pasta salads. Do any of you have an especially good one?I need a good recipe for kicked up pasta salad.?
Cheese tortellini pasta salad





Ingredients


1 package [19 oz.] frozen Cheese Tortellini


1/4 cup roasted red pepper, sliced


1 small bottle artichoke hearts, drained, chopped


3/4 cup broccoli, chopped


1/4 cup sun dried tomato, packed in olive oil, sliced


1/4 cup black olives, chopped


1/4 cup white onion, diced


3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, preferably Reggiano


1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil


3/4 cup Hellmann鈥檚 mayonnaise


coarse salt


freshly ground pepper





Method


Boil the pasta in plenty of salted water until al dente. If you want to hold the pasta until the next day, then undercook it as the dressing will soften it further. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. Add the pasta and mix well. Taste for seasoning. Serve immediately.





Note: This recipe has endless variations. Use your favorite vegetables; use a very high quality salad dressing instead of the olive oil for added flavor; add roasted garlic, add bottled mushrooms; substitute other pastas; use Nicoise or Kalamata olives, use Pimento-stuffed green olive; add an herb like thyme or oregano; add capers; pickled jalapeno slices; add a flavorful mustard or a dash of hot sauce; add tuna or cooked chicken for a Tuna or Chicken Pasta dishI need a good recipe for kicked up pasta salad.?
Kicked Up Aglio E Olio











1 lb of linguine, angel hair, any thin long pasta


6-8 T extra virgin olive oil (a few swigs around the pan)


1 shallot, chopped finely (if you don't have a shallot, 1/4 - 1/2 of a yellow onion would be fine)


2 T of garlic - about 4 nice sized cloves of garlic


2 t. crushed red pepper - less if you don't like it quite spicy (add in 1/2 t. at a time until it's to your taste)


2 cups of frozen peas, partially thawed


the juice of 1 1/2 - 2 lemons, to taste


a handful of fresh parsley, chopped





Directions


Cook your pasta in a nice large pot according to the package directions. Once cooked, put it in a strainer and turn down your stove eye to medium heat.


Put the pot back on the eye, pour in your olive oil, and after it's warmed up (it shouldn't take long), throw in the shallot. Let it cook for 2 minutes.


Add in the garlic and crushed red pepper, and let it cook for another minute.


Add the peas and cook until they're warmed through.


Add in the lemon juice and parsley, mix together, and taste. If it's too lemony, add in another tablespoon of olive oil.


Once it's to your taste, put the strained pasta back into the pot, and toss it with tongs so the pasta gets thoroughly covered with the sauce.


Garnish with extra parsley and slices of lemon.
Cooked pasta


sliced ham


sliced pepperoni


sliced spiced salami


Quarteded and then cut again tomatoes or cherry


whole olives


artichioke hearts softly drained


thin sliced red onion


chunked bell pepper


shredded mozrella cheese


parmesan cheese


cracked pepper


salt


home made wine vinegar and spices dressing,


Layer of the meats and veggies top with shredded cheese.


Peppercinis


add anything else you like!


Sorry I buy my italian dressing from a nice restuarent, thier house recipe is to die for. This is a great salad and makes a meal with garlic bread by itself.


Antipasto Salad, its the bomb


add peppe
Amish Macaroni Salad


INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)





* 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni


* 3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped


* 1 small onion, chopped


* 3 stalks celery, chopped


* 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped


* 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish


* 2 cups creamy salad dressing (e.g. Miracle Whip)


* 3 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard


* 3/4 cup white sugar


* 2 1/4 teaspoons white vinegar


* 1/4 teaspoon salt


* 3/4 teaspoon celery seed








DIRECTIONS





1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender. Drain, and set aside to cool.


2. In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, onion, celery, red pepper, and relish. In a small bowl, stir together the salad dressing, mustard, white sugar, vinegar, salt and celery seed. Pour over the vegetables, and stir in macaroni until well blended. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.





Antipasto Pasta Salad





INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)





* 1 pound seashell pasta


* 1/4 pound Genoa salami, chopped


* 1/4 pound pepperoni sausage, chopped


* 1/2 pound Asiago cheese, diced


* 1 (6 ounce) can black olives, drained and chopped


* 1 red bell pepper, diced


* 1 green bell pepper, chopped


* 3 tomatoes, chopped


* 1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix


* 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil


* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar


* 2 tablespoons dried oregano


* 1 tablespoon dried parsley


* 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese


* salt and ground black pepper to taste


DIRECTIONS





1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, and cool under cold water.


2. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, salami, pepperoni, Asiago cheese, black olives, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and tomatoes. Stir in the envelope of dressing mix. Cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour.


3. To prepare the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Just before serving, pour dressing over the salad, and mix well.
I guess you mean ';jazzed up'; pasta salad. That's what we'd say anyway in this part of the country. So, yeah, %26amp; it's fairly simple if you're good at winging stuff %26amp; adjusting recipes to suit yourself. The longest part is cooking about 1/4 c. black wild rice in maybe 3/4 c. water. (I just know that 1/2 c. water isn't quite enough.) You want the wild rice to be thoroughly cooked %26amp; soft enough.





Then cook some 1-inch or so pieces of asparagus %26amp; some frozen peas in a steam basket (%26amp; sliced zucchini or whatever you want). At about this stage when I tell about this recipe, many people chime in with the suggestion of broccoli, but this is supposed to be a relief from the same old broccoli %26amp; pasta salad. Naturally, it's best in the spring, sometime when asparagus is its cheapest %26amp; is in its prime. For us, the spring equinox around March 21 is a great time, but it might be earlier or later, like around Easter or later, too. You could probably find some fairly decent asparagus right now.





Now cook some of those really cute bow tie pasta. (In cooking pasta, the water is supposed to be boiling before adding the pasta to the water.) I don't know how much. Just decide yourself how much of each ingredient to use. If it's packaged bow tie pasta, I get a couple of packages from Trader Joe's or maybe in bulk from the health food store, but I have no idea how much that is.





Now mix all the ingredients together with some oil, like olive oil or sesame oil. I like sesame oil best, but most pros will say to use olive oil. Whatever. For seasonings, choose from tarragon, oregano, ground dill seed, rosemary, or whatever you like. Sorry that I don't remember how much oil. I don't like it to be too drenched in oil. I prefer pasta that is just moistened with oil instead of really swimming in it. It's up to you. Serve with grated parmesan that people can add themselves, or you can add it for them. Sometimes I let people add the parmesan themselves if I think there will be any vegans, people who don't eat cheese, at the potluck.





This is so good. The first time I made it, I used a boxed kit with the bow tie pasta %26amp; the wild rice in it. I think the idea of asparagus %26amp; frozen peas was my own idea. The box had some sort of big gold sticker on it, saying it was a winning food manufacturer's packaged item at the California State Fair in Sacramento. After that, I just bought the separate ingredients %26amp; sort of winged it as far as guessing what to use %26amp; how much. I usually put it in a huge stainless steel for taking to a big potluck lunch, though I sometimes put leftovers in a covered plastic Tupperware bowl, especially if I'm going to be putting it in the fridge for me to eat for several days. For smaller groups at potlucks, I might just take the Tupperware bowl full.





I hope you like this. Once you get the hang of it, it's not exactly rocket science. I'm guessing I could cook everything %26amp; also throw the whole thing together in thirty minutes.
I always add chopped up bacon,sharp cheddar cheese chunks,red bell peppers,black olives,chopped tomatoes,green onion,to wagon wheel pasta with equal parts of ranch dressing and Itilian dressing.Can u say mmmmmmmmm.
pasta


grape tomato


black olives


feta cheese


green onion


italian salad dressing