Cold Pasta Salad Recipes

Cold pasta salads are a great addition to any meal, whether the meal is formal or just a back yard cookout. You would usually have some kind of pasta in your cabinet that can be used for cold pasta salad. You can go by the recipe and use the pasta that it requests or substitute it for your own favorite. Fusilli is a spiral shaped pasta with assorted colors that is a great way to add a festive look to any party. Cold pasta salad recipes are great for everyone from the meat lover to the vegetarian.

Cheese and Walnut Pasta Salad

Ingredients

2 cups of dried conchiglie pasta
1 cup of shelled walnuts
1 bag of mixed greens salad (a nice radicchio, escarole, arugula, mache, and frisee mix works well)
2 cups of Dolcelatte cheese, a sweet blue cheese (Roquefort works if you can't find Dolcelatte)

Ingredients for Dressing

2 tablespoons of walnut oil
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons or red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the pasta until it is done. Rinse the pasta well with cold water and then place pasta in the refrigerator until pasta is cold. While the pasta is cooling toast the walnuts in your oven at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes. While the walnuts are cooling whisk the oils and vinegar together in a bowl. Add just enough salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the greens in a large bowl and scatter cooled pasta over the greens. Toss the cooled toasted walnuts over the pasta and then drizzle the dressing over the salad.

Spicy Pasta Salad

Fusilli pasta works well for this salad, however the pasta of your choice will work just as well.

Ingredients

2 red bell peppers, cut in half and deseeded
1 small fresh red chili
4 tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves
½ cup of ground almonds
7 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 pound 8 ounces of fusilli pasta (or pasta of your choice)

Instructions

Cook the fusilli (or pasta of your choice) according to the package directions. After the pasta is done rinse with cold water and drain. Place the pasta in the refrigerator to cool. Preheat your broiler to a medium heat and place the chili, tomato halves, and bell peppers skin side up on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet into the broiler and cook the skins until they are well-charred, turning occasionally. Once the peppers are charred, place them in a bowl and cover them with plastic wrap. Let the peppers sit for 10 minutes. Peel the skin from the peppers and slice the flesh into strips. Peel and deseed the tomatoes. Peel the garlic. Place the ground almonds on the cookie sheet and toast them in the broiler for about three minutes until golden brown. Using a food processor, blend the bell peppers, chili, garlic, and tomatoes until pureed. While the food processor is still running, slowly drizzle the oil through the feeder tube to form an emulsion. Place the mixture into a saucepan and fold the almonds into the mixture. Warm the sauce until it is thoroughly heated. Place the cooled pasta in a serving bowl and pour the sauce over the pasta.

These are two great pastas you can try, however, there are hundreds of other cold pasta salad recipes available. Cook books and the internet are great sources for finding a cold pasta recipe that is perfect to fit your appetite and occasion.