Looking for something tasty to cook up for the 4th of July without having to really cook? Maybe you are going to a party and need to bring a dish, going to the beach and taking a picnic with you or simply want to keep it easy. You can make this meal a day ahead of time and put it in the fridge for your party or lunch or dinner. This recipe makes about 4 servings, so you may want to double it if you are taking it to a party or having friends or family over. I love having pasta salad for a summer meal (i.e., 4th of July), because it is refreshing and delicious.
What you will need:
Dressing
2/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Red wine vinegar
1 ½ TBS Sugar
1 TBS Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
2 tsp Minced shallot
1 tsp Lemon juice
1/2 tsp Dried thyme
1/4 tsp Dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1/8 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/8 tsp Dried basil
1/8 tsp Dried oregano
Dash of onion powder
Pasta
4 Quarts water
1 pound Rainbow rotini (red, white and blue if you can find it)
1 to 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large or 2 medium tomatoes
1 green onion
1/4 Cup minced cucumber
Salt
To make the dressing, in a large mixing bowl combine the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, Grey Poupon Dijon mustard, shallot, lemon juice, thyme, parsley flakes, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, basil, oregano and onion powder. With an electric mixer, mix on high speed for about a minute until the dressing becomes thick and creamy. Put the dressing into a sealed container and store in the fridge until you are ready to toss it in with your salad.
Next, in a large pan, bring your 4 quarts of water to boil over high heat and then add in your uncooked noodles. Cook for 12 to 14 minutes or until tender and drain. Gently spray cold water over the pasta to help cool it down, and then drizzle the olive oil over the pasta to prevent it from sticking together. Gently toss the pasta and then put it in a covered container for about a half hour in the fridge to cool.
While the pasta is cooling in the fridge, prepare your vegetables. When you cut your tomatoes remember to remove the seeds and some pulp from them. When you cut your green onion, use only the green part. Make sure to cut your cucumber into tiny pieces.
Once the pasta is chilled, add in the freshly cut veggies and sprinkle it with salt to taste. Put them back in the fridge to chill.
Once you are ready to serve the pasta, you can either add the dressing to the pasta and toss or you can spoon out the salad and each person can individually add the dressing (if they choose to use it) themselves.
Enjoy this refreshing and yummy 4th of July Pasta Salad!