Summer is the time for light salads. But if you are very hungry, you will not be full of “grass” alone, and then it's time to remember about cold salads made from everyone's favorite pasta, or rather Italian pasta. They turn out to be hearty, varied and very, very tasty. They can be prepared in advance and for a very large number of people, so they are great for picnics or barbecues and barbecues.
How to choose a salad paste
Many types of pasta are suitable for salad. Short forms - penne, fusilli, rigatoni - should be chosen if you want a salad with diced vegetables, meat or legumes. Such salads can be seasoned with sauces based on vinegar and oil - such sauces are called vinaigrette or vinaigrette, and various thick, creamy dressings.
Long ones - spaghetti, cappellini - are combined with thinly sliced ingredients and vinaigrette sauces. For salads with an Asian accent, use rice or buckwheat noodles and dressing with soy sauce.
What ingredients can be put in a salad with pasta
Pasta salads leave a wide field for creativity. They contain both fresh vegetables and fruits, meat and seafood, herbs and spices. Popular ingredients for salad with pasta are canned legumes - beans, corn, peas. Often soft cheeses are added to cold salads with pasta.
Warm salads with pasta are prepared with grilled vegetables, liver, mushrooms. Fried nuts, olives, anochus, capers, sun-dried tomatoes and fried peppers give a spicy taste to salads with pasta.
The most common ingredient in pasta salads is red sweet onions. Few recipes for such a salad are complete without it. Popular herbs include cilantro, parsley, basil, dill and mint. Lemon zest is often added to add a fresh touch.
Prepare salad dressing at the rate of 200 ml of sauce per 500 grams of dry pasta. Salads are seasoned shortly before serving, since the pasta quickly absorbs the sauce and overnight the salad may not become juicy, but slimy. The optimal time for filling such salads is 15-20 minutes before serving.
It is important to remember that a salad dressing with pasta should not be prepared with bright vinegars such as balsamic or red wine. They will give the paste an unpleasant grayish or brownish tint.
Interesting pasta salad recipes
The combination of ingredients for salads with pasta can be very unusual. For example, make a penne and fruit salad. You will need:
- 250 grams of penne;
- 2 raw chicken eggs;
- ½ glass of lemon juice;
- ½ teaspoon of salt;
- 400 grams of canned pineapple, diced;
- 3 medium apples, peeled and chopped the same way;
- 150 ml cream 30% fat;
- ¼ cups of crushed walnuts.
In a saucepan, beat the sugar, eggs and lemon juice lightly. Place over medium heat and cook, whisking, until the mixture thickens. This will take about 5 minutes. Refrigerate. Prepare penne according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold boiled water. Whip the cream. Drain the canned pineapples.
Combine pasta, pineapple, apples, and nuts. Season with egg sauce and garnish with whipped cream.
Asian-style chicken salad will be beautiful and bright. You will need:
- 250 grams of buckwheat noodles;
- 1 boiled chicken breast;
- ½ cup fresh cucumber, cut into strips;
- ½ cup grated long strips of carrots;
- 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh ginger root;
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce;
- 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar;
- ¾ teaspoon of sugar;
- ¼ teaspoon of minced garlic;
- 4 tablespoons of sesame oil.
Disassemble the chicken breast into fibers. Cook noodles, drain and refrigerate. In a small saucepan, whisk the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, butter, garlic, and ginger, bring to a boil, and remove from heat. Combine noodles, chicken, carrots and cucumber, season with sauce and stir. This salad can be seasoned with sesame seeds.
