Recipes

[Tinkrbl44]

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@ninjawife wrote:

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@Harpa wrote:

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@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

Never tried the tri-color rotini pasta, so I have to ask ..... you use this to make the salad colorful, right? 

This pasta doesn't taste any different than other pastas ... right?

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@Tinkrbl44  The color does fade after cooking the tri-color pasta.

Taste is very slight from the carrot to the spinach to the white pasta. I think the vegetables are in there more for a bit more nutrition than for taste & color.

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I don't find that colored pastas taste any different than white pasta.  They have no additional nutritional value either.  The vegetables are used to color the pasta only.  The only colored pasta that tastes different is squid ink pasta. 

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@ninjawife 

I like to think of myself as open minded and experimental .... but I really can pass on squid ink pasta.  lol

[ChiliPepper]

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@Harpa wrote:

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@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

Never tried the tri-color rotini pasta, so I have to ask ..... you use this to make the salad colorful, right? 

This pasta doesn't taste any different than other pastas ... right?

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@Tinkrbl44  The color does fade after cooking the tri-color pasta.

Taste is very slight from the carrot to the spinach to the white pasta. I think the vegetables are in there more for a bit more nutrition than for taste & color.

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@Harpa 

@Tinkrbl44 

I also notice a slight difference in taste. You don't notice it so much when you eat the salad all together but you do notice it when you eat the pieces individually.

[Harpa]

@ChiliPepper  Yes, I most certainly detect a slight difference in taste between the colors. However, I was mistaken about the carrot. The orangey-red is made from tomato.

[Imaoldhippie]

I guess my take on pasta salad is different.  Some of what is described here is more like a macaroni salad to me.

For my pasta salad (I guess you could call it Italian)

Pasta of any kind

Italian salad dressing (bottled or homemade)

black olives &/or green olives

cheese cubes (any flavor you like) or you can use shredded.

onions

cherry tomatoes

pepperoni or salami  (if desired)

McCormick Salad Supreme

Cook pasta, rinse, mix in all ingredients pour on dressing, sprinkle on McCormicks, stir and your done.  You may have to add more dressing as the pasta will absorb it.  I usually have add more the next day.

No set amount for any ingredients just use your judgement.  Add or subtract stuff you like or dont like.

[ChiliPepper]

@Harpa 

Very interesting!

 I got carried away & cooked the entire box of tri-color pasta so with all the veggies I put in it I will be eating pasta salad for breakfast, lunch & dinner for a few days!!!

Oh well, I love it & it's reasonablely healthy with all the veggies in it.

Dang, I must have hit the "italics" button LOL!

[ChiliPepper]

@Imaoldhippie 

I'm with you, what you mentioned with pasta, veggies & an Italian/vinaigrette

dressing is what I consider "pasta salad ".

Pasta, celery or peas, maybe green peppers, sometimes tuna in a mayo or Miracle Whip dressing is what I call "macaroni salad ".

I'm thinking too maybe different areas call it different names.

[Tinkrbl44]

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@ChiliPepper wrote:

@Imaoldhippie 

I'm with you, what you mentioned with pasta, veggies & an Italian/vinaigrette

dressing is what I consider "pasta salad ".

Pasta, celery or peas, maybe green peppers, sometimes tuna in a mayo or Miracle Whip dressing is what I call "macaroni salad ".

I'm thinking too maybe different areas call it different names.

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@ChiliPepper 

Funny, I was noticing that some seemed to be using the words pasta and macaroni interchangeably.   I was wondering if the shape of the noodle determined which is which.  lol  

[ChiliPepper]

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@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

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@ChiliPepper wrote:

@Imaoldhippie 

I'm with you, what you mentioned with pasta, veggies & an Italian/vinaigrette

dressing is what I consider "pasta salad ".

Pasta, celery or peas, maybe green peppers, sometimes tuna in a mayo or Miracle Whip dressing is what I call "macaroni salad ".

I'm thinking too maybe different areas call it different names.

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@ChiliPepper 

Funny, I was noticing that some seemed to be using the words pasta and macaroni interchangeably.   I was wondering if the shape of the noodle determined which is which.  lol  

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@Tinkrbl44 

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeee..........  

This is true!

 I usually make "macaroni salad" with elbows & "pasta salad" with rotini but there is no reason it has to be those "pastas".

My Mom always made macaroni salad with elbows so that's probably why I do too.

 I have seen it made with mini shells plenty of times & it's just as yummy!

[PA Mom-mom]

@Tinkrbl44  WELL. thanks to you and my DIL, I decided to make pasta salad yesterday. I found out that my DIL actually didn't make her own dressing. She used a bottled dressing only available in the Pittsburgh area - called Ciciarelli's. I couldn't get it in my area, so I used Wish Bone Zesty Italian, a packet of Good Seasons, one minced garlic clove and about an eighth of a cup red wine vinegar and a splash of water. I mixed it ahead of time and let the flavors get together. Then I cooked some fresh Rana spinach and cheese tortellini (2 large bags), rinsed it and mixed it with the dressing, sliced Kalamata olives from the olive bar, halved grape tomatoes, sliced pepperoni, diced capricola ham, and a thinly sliced cuke. At the last minute I added minced fresh basil from my patio and a container of crumbled feta cheese. It was a big hit! I had some of the leftovers today, and it is still good. Frankly, I think the capricola, olives and fresh basil make all the difference. Sorry for the length of this post, but I just had to report back.

[Tinkrbl44]

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@PA Mom-mom wrote:

@Tinkrbl44  WELL. thanks to you and my DIL, I decided to make pasta salad yesterday. I found out that my DIL actually didn't make her own dressing. She used a bottled dressing only available in the Pittsburgh area - called Ciciarelli's. I couldn't get it in my area, so I used Wish Bone Zesty Italian, a packet of Good Seasons, one minced garlic clove and about an eighth of a cup red wine vinegar and a splash of water. I mixed it ahead of time and let the flavors get together. Then I cooked some fresh Rana spinach and cheese tortellini (2 large bags), rinsed it and mixed it with the dressing, sliced Kalamata olives from the olive bar, halved grape tomatoes, sliced pepperoni, diced capricola ham, and a thinly sliced cuke. At the last minute I added minced fresh basil from my patio and a container of crumbled feta cheese. It was a big hit! I had some of the leftovers today, and it is still good. Frankly, I think the capricola, olives and fresh basil make all the difference. Sorry for the length of this post, but I just had to report back.

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@PA Mom-mom 

Sounds great ... and all the details are important.

I ended up cooking too much pasta, so I took small portions from it that last two nights, just enough for dinner.   

I had added tiny fresh spinach leaves and paper thin circles of Persian cucumbers the sercond night, in addition to the usual ... grape tomatoes, black olives, feta cheese, etc etc.   

This salad was the first time I've used Ken's Steak House Feta and Black Olive dessing .... wow, it is very good!  I will keep it in the house from now on.