Marinated Pasta Salad Recipes

Steps:

• Whisk canola oil, sugar, ketchup, vinegar, salt, and black pepper together in a bowl. Set aside to let the flavors blend for 30 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; drain. Rinse with cold water to cool; drain.
• Combine cooled pasta, tomatoes, onion, green bell pepper, and cucumber in a bowl.
• Drizzle the dressing over the pasta mixture and toss to coat.
• Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain pasta and rinse in cold water. , Place in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag; add the salami, pepperoni, cheese, vegetables and olives. Add the salad dressing, oregano and pepper; seal and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes, capers, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, red-pepper flakes, the whole basil sprig and anchovies if using. Let sit for 5 minutes, then stir in 1/2 cup oil. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. The tomatoes should be aggressively seasoned. Let tomatoes marinate for at least 1 hour and preferably 2 to 3.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until it is just al dente, usually a minute less than the package instructions. Drain well. Add to bowl with tomatoes while still warm and toss well. Let pasta cool, soaking up the dressing. Let pasta sit at room temperature for at least another hour and up to 6 hours before serving. Or chill for up to 24 hours; bring to room temperature before serving.
• Just before serving, gently fold in torn basil leaves. Top with more olive oil and cracked black pepper before serving.

Steps:

• Up to 4 hours before serving, put tomatoes in a large bowl and sprinkle all over with salt. Set aside for 30 minutes, then drain off liquid.
• Add tuna and its oil, olives or capers, if using. Add herbs and zest. Add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and stir gently, flaking tuna into pieces. Cover and set aside at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Cook pasta in plenty of boiling salted water. Drain very well. Combine tomatoes and pasta well, then taste and add more oil, salt and pepper to taste. Add red pepper flakes if desired. Sprinkle with pine nuts, if using, and chopped herbs. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• 1. Prepare veggie pasta per package directions, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
• 2. Saute mushrooms in olive oil until cooked through but not carmelized. When done, set aside to cool slightly.
• 3. In a large bowl, empty contents of marinated artichokes. If necessary, cut artichoke into bite-sized pieces.
• 4. Add to artichokes, broccoli, tomatoes, cooled mushrooms, drained black olives,parsley,oregano, garlic, and salt and pepper. Blend well.
• 5. Toss in cooled pasta and stir until blended. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until ready to serve.
• 6. ***I've varied this by adding cubes of cheese, shredded carrots, finely diced green pepper,red and yellow pepper, pimentos, cauliflower, diced cucumbers. I even added quartered slices of pepperoni to throw the kids off the zucchini! ;P

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine all dressing ingredients and chill. In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients. Pour dressing over the top and mix slightly, refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.
• If necessary, add another T of oil, few splashes of vinegar and a pinch of salt before serving.

Steps:

• Toss cherry tomatoes, olive oil, shallot, garlic, oregano and vinegar in a large bowl. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper and let marinate for at least 15 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt.
• Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the shape and brand of pasta. With a spider or slotted spoon, strain pasta directly into tomato mixture and toss to combine. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.
• Stir in flakes of tuna and serve with a drizzle of olive oil on top. The pasta can be served hot or at room temperature.