Need Side Salad recipes...Pasta, Bean, Potato

Having a BBQ this weekend and looking for some good salad recipes...Pasta Salad, Bean Salad, Potato Salad. Im open to other salad ideas too..Thanks!

Re: Need Side Salad recipes...Pasta, Bean, Potato

Tortollini Salad

2 bags frozen Tricolor cheese tortollini (could also do reg tricolor pasta if u want)

1 can pitted black olives
1 jar of roasted red pepper
1/2 block of mozzarella cheese
1 bag frozen broccoli florets
extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
garlic powder
oregano

Boil water, add salt (important!!), cook tortollini until al dente

Drain tortollini, mix with a little olive oil so doesnt stick, place to the side

Steam broccoli florets, you want a nice crunch, again a little oil, set to side

dice mozzarella cheese and red peppers, i leave black olives whole but you can cute if you want

put all above in a pan/bowl

Next mix your dressing - i dont measure but will do a rough estimate for you, its really based on eye

mix in bowl :about 1/4 cup oil, and about almost 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 1/2 ts oregano, 1 ts garlic powder.

Add to your ingredients, stir well, refrigerate a couple of hours.

VARIATION:

if that dressing isnt for you you can do a sun dried tomato dressing:

in a food processor put 1 small jar of sun dried tomato that are packed in oil-add all the tomatoes and about half the oil, add 2 cloves of garlic, add dash of red wine vinegare. Blend well until its smooth(you may need to add more of the sun dried tomato oil)

then you mix that with everything and refrigerate for several hours

Re: Need Side Salad recipes...Pasta, Bean, Potato

My Nana's potato sald-with my own variation:

1 - 5 lb bag yellow potatoes
8-12 eggs (based on preference)
hellmans mayo
salt and pepper
1 onion diced very very small

boil potatoes, whole, unpeeled in salted water until fork tender (do not make too soft), drain and set aside to cool

boil eggs until hard boiled, drain set aside to cool

dice onion

once cool -peel potatoes and dice, place in your pan/bowl

put your onions in with your potatoes

once cool, unshell the eggs -

this is where my variation comes in, i dont like pieces of egg yolk, which you will get if you just dice up the eggs. so if you like that then just dice em up, if not then this is what i do:

i slice eggs down middle, i put yolks in one small bowl and i dice the egg whites small and put the whites into the pan with the potatoes and onions

next i mash the egg yolks and add some mayo (like you would do with deviled eggs) i also will add a sprinkle of paprika, mix and add to the pan with the potatoes etc.

Mix well and add more mayo, until your preference is met (i like a "wet" potato salad)

add salt and pepper to taste

refrigerate for several hours

Re: Need Side Salad recipes...Pasta, Bean, Potato

I really like Sunny Anderson's Quick Artichoke Pasta Salad:

2 (14-ounce) cans quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 pound bowtie pasta, cooked and drained
1/2 cup, pitted and sliced black olives
4 sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
1 small red onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toss all ingredients in a serving bowl and let rest, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

Oh and Rachel Ray's Loaded Baked Potato Salad. Freaking delicious but FATTY.

7 pounds baking potatoes (I used about 5)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
2 pounds bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces (I used 1 lb.)
2 sticks (1/2 pound) butter, softened
2 pints sour cream
Salt and pepper
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1 pound cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 400°. Pierce the potatoes with a fork; brush with oil. Bake until tender, 1 hour. Let cool, then cut into bite-size pieces. ***Let cool for a long time, they'll be easier to work with

2.In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain.

3.In a large bowl, combine the butter and sour cream; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the potatoes, bacon, scallions and cheese. Serve at room temperature.

***Make sure you do the 3rd direction exactly in those steps otherwise it will be lumpy and weird.

Re: Need Side Salad recipes...Pasta, Bean, Potato

Classic Mac Salad - this is really, really, really good.

4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (I used cavatappi)
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2/3 cup white sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup grated carrot (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped pimento peppers (optional)

Directions
1.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain.
2.In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the onion, celery, green pepper, carrot, pimentos and macaroni. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, but preferably overnight.

****I substituted the pimiento peppers with chopped green olives. BIG MISTAKE. Gave it a weird taste. Don't do that.

Re: Need Side Salad recipes...Pasta, Bean, Potato

OOh everything sounds so good! Thanks so much ladies!!

Re: Need Side Salad recipes...Pasta, Bean, Potato

DH loves this one, Giada's Warm Vegetable Salad

Ingredients :
2 whole red peppers
1 1/2 pound assorted red and white new potatoes
3/4 pounds green beans, trimmed and halved
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped oregano leaves
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the broiler. Place the red peppers on a foil lined baking sheet.

Place the red peppers under the boiler. Turning every 2 to 3 minutes cook the peppers until the skin is blistered, about 8 to 9 minutes total. Place the blistered peppers in a plastic bag. Seal the bag and allow the peppers to sit for 10 minutes to allow the skin to separate and to let cool.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the potatoes to a cutting board. Add the green beans to the pot. Cook the green beans until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the green beans to a large bowl. Slice the potatoes in half while still warm and combine them with the green beans in the large bowl. Remove the peppers from the plastic bag. Peel off the skin from the peppers. Slice the pepper flesh into wide strips and remove the seeds and veins. Place them in the bowl with the potatoes. Add the scallions, parsley, and garlic and toss to combine.

In a small bowl combine the oregano, lemon juice and zest, and white wine vinegar. Whisk in the olive oil. Stir in the salt and pepper. Toss the warm vegetables with the herb vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

I substitute jarred roasted peppers for the fresh, and frozen haricot verts for the fresh string beans, dried oregano if I don't have fresh. It's a time saver for me, since I make this a lot as a side dish for dinner.
Tastes great at room temperature too.

Re: Need Side Salad recipes...Pasta, Bean, Potato

if you are lazy like me, get 2 boxes of Suddenly Salad in the bacon and ranch and call it a day! I have been making those for a while now and they are always a hit!

Go to the Betty Crocker site for a 40cent off coupon. ;)

Re: Need Side Salad recipes...Pasta, Bean, Potato

I got this from a Gordon Ramsay cookbook and I love it! It makes a lot too. Sorry for the metric measurements. You can serve it cold, makes a great side dish.

Creole spiced bean and vegetable salad

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
200g French beans, trimmed
2 zucchini (courgettes), trimmed and sliced into 1.5cm rounds
8 spring onions, trimmed and cut into short lengths
400g can haricot or butter beans, drained and rinsed
400g can of cannellini beans
400g chickpeas, drained and rinsed
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
bunch of fresh flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
bunch of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
salt and pepper

For the Créole Spice Mix:
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste
pinch of chili powder, or to taste

Heat oil in a pan and add the onion with some salt and pepper. Stir frequently over medium heat for 6-8 minutes until the onion is soft. Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the Creole spice mix in a small bowl. Add to pan and stir for another minute or until fragrant. Tip the beans, zucchini and spring onions into the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes until tender. Turn off the heat, add butter and cannellini beans and chickpeas along with the cherry tomatoes, and toss to mix (I usually leave it on the heat to soften the tomatoes for a few minutes). Transfer the salad to a large bowl and stir in the chopped herbs. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Re: Need Side Salad recipes...Pasta, Bean, Potato

I make a really simple mac salad (from my mom) and people love it:

Box of macaroni
Green olives diced
Small onion diced
Mayo to taste
Seasoned salt to taste
Paprika to season

Boil pasta, let it cool, add olives and onions, mix in mayo (just to coat), add seasoned salt, mix, and top with paprika.

Message edited 5/29/2010 11:00:35 PM.