Need pasta salad recipe WITHOUT mayo

[floridagal]

Of course I can google but wondered if you had any tried and true...

Son loves pasta salad but I don't like packing anything with mayo in lunch box...

Thanks!

[cgraz]

I have always done a very basic pasta salad with any type of Italian dressing instead of mayo.

I think it works best with 1 lb of rotini, diced red & yellow peppers, cukes, broccoli (I drain and cold-rinse the pasta over the broccoli to semi-blanch it and make it a nice bright green), carrots, purple onion (a little goes a long way)...dressed with a small bottle of Viva Italian (or a lite version of the same).

Sometimes I'll also add cubed cheese and salami plus some chopped marinated artichokes (from a jar), and vary the vegetables, depending on what looks good.

[floridagal]

I have always done a very basic pasta salad with any type of Italian dressing instead of mayo.

I think it works best with 1 lb of rotini, diced red & yellow peppers, cukes, broccoli (I drain and cold-rinse the pasta over the broccoli to semi-blanch it and make it a nice bright green), carrots, purple onion (a little goes a long way)...dressed with a small bottle of Viva Italian (or a lite version of the same).

Sometimes I'll also add cubed cheese and salami plus some chopped marinated artichokes (from a jar), and vary the vegetables, depending on what looks good.

Oooh, that sounds delish.  Thanks.

[Mags]

Find a good greek salad recipe (Rachel Ray's come to mind), then add cooked pasta (1/2 lb dry) in it. You can't go wrong.

[floridagal]

Find a good greek salad recipe (Rachel Ray's come to mind), then add cooked pasta (1/2 lb dry) in it. You can't go wrong.

Good idea.  I just landed on her website the other day.

[Mags]

Try this recipe (from foodnetwork)

3 vine ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 European seedless cucumber, cut into bite-size chunks
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chunked
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chunked
1 cubanelle pepper, seeded and chunked
1 cup Kalamata black olives
Several sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, about 1/2 cup chopped
2 (1/4 pound) slices imported Greek feta
1/4 cup (a couple of glugs) extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons (3 splashes) red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed in palm of your hand
Coarse salt and black pepper
Pita breads

Combine vegetables, olives, and parsley in a large bowl. Rest sliced feta on the top of salad. Combine oil, vinegar, and oregano in a small plastic container with a lid. Shake vigorously to combine oil and vinegar and pour over salad and cheese. Season with salt and pepper and let the salad marinate until ready to serve.

My edit:
Toss in cooked and cooled pasta in the bowl and combine feta cheese crumbles in place of sliced feta. I've also used chopped pepperoncini peppers instead of cubanelle peppers, and tossed in marinated artichokes in the mix. Oh yeah, I don't add the tomatoes until serving time.

[floridagal]

That looks wonderful.  I will try it!

I did my take on cgraz's tonight - I didn't have broccoli or cukes or carrots but I did have red & yellow peppers, red onion, celery and I added italian parsley...it was a hit.   

[teetime]

Of course I can google but wondered if you had any tried and true...

Son loves pasta salad but I don't like packing anything with mayo in lunch box...

Thanks!

Sounds like you've been given plenty of the veggies and italian dressing version so I won't add mine (which only throws some black olives in the mix).

But if your little guy likes peanut flavored things and you don't mind a little more prep work, I have a great cold peanut noodle recipe.

Also, a really easy thing to do in a pinch: cook up some store purchased tortellini, add a bag of frozen peas, and big handful of grated parm.

[cgraz]

...I have a great cold peanut noodle recipe...

I've been looking for something like that...please share it!

[Mags]

Oh, I too have an Asian noodle (thin spaghetti actually, which can be replaced with soba noodles if desired) salad recipe that included shiitake mushrooms. It's wonderful, and taste better after a few days left in the fridge.

I'll post it later, as I have to leave the computer for a while.

[Run Amok]

I do a couple:

Tortellini, peas, artichoke hearts, tossed with pesto. I think it's best when it's room temp. My daughter likes it but ymmv since it is *green* and all!

The other one we do a lot is bowtie pasta (though any shape works) with sundried tomatoes, kalmata olives, artichoke hearts, fresh garlic, feta and parmesan cheese. I don't add dressing and this always gets lots of great reviews from friends.

+1 for asian/peanut/noodle salads

I also have a recipe that is a quick take on tabouleh using couscous and another cous-cous veggie salad that's great. I'll dig them up for you.

[floridagal]

I love the help!  There are some awesome cooks here.

[teetime]

I like the one below for an easier recipe.  But I do not like tofu even a bit so I use chicken.  And my real favorite recipe calls for tahini and actually has no peanuts ... but it's a lot of work and my kitchen it too small

Peanut Sesame Noodles

For peanut dressing
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup warm water
1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger (I use a bit more)
1 medium garlic clove, chopped
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Asian toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes or a splash of the hot sauce or chili paste of your choice (or none if little ones are eating it)

For noodles
3/4 lb dried soba nooodles (any pasta really)
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips
Half a seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
1 cup firm or extra-firm tofu, cubed (as said above ... I use chicken)
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

*Not in the recipe but I like to add bean sprouts and/or cucumber strips

Purée dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl.

Cook pasta.

Add pasta, scallions, bell peppers, cucumber and tofu to dressing, tossing to combine. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

[caribougrrl]

Soba Noodle Salad with Greens

(No peanuts)

 
Dressing:
2 tbsp each: soya sauce, sesame oil, mirin (or sake or maple syrup), rice vinegar
1 tbsp tamari (or an extra tbsp soya sauce)
1 tsp wasabi paste (optional)

Whisk together and set aside

Noodles :
Bring water to boil, add half package of soba noodles.  Boil for 4 minutes; should be mostly tender but still have a bit of a bite on the inside.

Immediately after draining, mix noodles with HALF of the dressing.  Mix well, otherwise the
noodles will stick together.  As they are cooling, I mix them every 5-10 minutes (just a bit to keep them from sticking).

Tofu:

2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, pressed
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 package of firm tofu, cubed

Heat a couple tbsp of veg oil with a few drops of sesame oil.  Saute ginger, garlic and onion. 
Add tofu and stirfry until heated through.  Remove from heat.

Greens:

6 cups of greens (turnip greens, spinach, chard)
 
I prefer turnip greens, spinach or baby spinach is also very good and may be easier to find for those of you who don't live in the turnip capital of the world.  Chard is a bit more bitter, but works well too.

Steam (either in a steam basket or in a large pot with about a 1/2 inch of water in the bottom)
until tender and reduced in bulk.


Mix greens, tofu and remaining dressing together.  Slice 4 more green onions and add raw to
mixture.  Mix into soba noodles.  Let cool to room temp. (Sometimes I just add everything to noodles all at once, but if you mix with dressing separately, they tend to clump up less. 
Still tastes the same in the end though...)

Serve either at room temp or chilled.  (I like them best at room temp.)

[floridagal]

cg, that looks awesome.

[malia]

Bow tie pasta
Grilled Portabella mushrooms
Chopped Sundried Tomatoes
Baby spinach
Parmigiana Reggiano Cheese
Italian dressing

Add the spinach to the hot pasta so it wilts just a bit, add the rest of the ingredients, toss and serve

[Gomie]

I just made a tortellini spinach artichoke pasta salad that's on Rachael Ray's site the other day.  It's pretty tasty (I eyeballed the amount of spinach and added Parmigiana Reggiano).

[martiniqueeni]

Tortellini, peas, artichoke hearts, tossed with pesto. I think it's best when it's room temp. My daughter likes it but ymmv since it is *green* and all!

I made this the other day and it is excellent.   I threw in a couple of tablespoons of pine nuts but DBF picked them out and said it didn't need them.   Normally, he likes pine nuts.   He just want to enjoy the "green" pasta salad.    I liked it better at room temp than after it had been refrigerated.   

Thanks for sharing your recipe!

[Run Amok]

Thanks for sharing your recipe!

Glad you enjoyed it! 


That reminds me- I was also going to post this recipe. It's my take on the recipe on the back of the TJ's WW Cous Cous box.

For the Cous Cous

1/2 cup boiling water
6tbs olive oil
1/3 cup lime juice
1-1/4 cup dry cous cous

For salad:
1/2 green bell pepper- small dice
1/2 red onion- small dice
1/2 english cucumber- small dice
3-4 TBS of chopped mint
3-4 tbs chopped parsley (if you want- I usually leave it out)

Combine couscous ingredients, stir quickly, then cover. Allow to sit 5-10 minutes- then fluff with a fork. I usually then taste for salt (it will need some) then put in the fridge to cool, stirring every so often to speed the process. While it's cooling you can dice the veggies. You want them to be pretty small- maybe 1/4" dice. Then you just toss the veggies in with the cous cous and serve. This makes a big bowl of salad and it keeps pretty well for a day or two (and the leftovers are yummy!)
 

[Run Amok]