What to Add to Your Pasta to Make it a Salad
If your pasta has begun ringing humdrum, here are 4 recipes to make it into a salad with ingredients that are refreshing, tasty and (mostly) pantry staples.
1. Roasted Eggplant, Chile and Mint Pasta Salad
A NYT Cooking recipe - roasted eggplant pasta salad.
Sure to be a crowd pleaser, this recipe by Melissa Clark brings out a caramelized version of the vegetable and suggests being topped up with a spicy oil to temper the sweetness of the eggplant with tang. Serve a balanced and delicious flavor profile.
Ingredients:
680 gm eggplant
225 gm cooked penne pasta
3 anchovy fillets (avoid if vegetarian)
1 very large ripe tomato
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 tbsp capers and chives, drained
2 tbsp mint leaves, torn
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt, pepper, chilli flakes, lemon juice: to taste
Method:
- Heat oven to 400° degrees. Place the eggplant on a baking sheet and season it. Roast until golden brown (about 25 minutes).
- In a skillet, heat the olive oil. Sauté garlic, anchovies, and chilli flakes until the garlic is golden and the anchovies melt (about 3 minutes). Let it cool.
- In a bowl mix the chopped tomato, penne, and eggplant. Drizzle with the dressing.
- Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice to your liking. Finish with the herbs - mint, chives and capers.
2. Creamy Turmeric Pasta Salad
A NYT Cooking recipe - creamy turmeric pasta.
Can we give turmeric a makeover in pasta? Seu Li definitely thinks so. A lazy dish that can be cooked up with ingredients that are most probably in your kitchen.
Ingredients:
400 gm cooked spaghetti
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large shallot, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1½ tbsp ground turmeric
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup half-and-half (milk + cream mix)
4 tbsp fresh parsley or chives, finely chopped
Salt and pepper: to taste
Method:
- Melt butter over medium heat and add shallot and garlic. Let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened and golden. Sprinkle in the turmeric and cook for about 30 seconds to release its aroma. Whisk in the half-and-half; bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
- Before mixing in the cooked spaghetti, add parmesan and wait until it is melted and smooth. Use pasta water to even the texture of the sauce.
- Pair chickpeas, zucchini, feta or goat cheese to complement the haldi. Add a tinge of lemon zest at the end and top it with chopped parsley.
3. Provini Pasta Salad
Provini, Park Slope, Brooklyn has its own "Provini Salad"
A concoction from Park Slope, Brooklyn is finding its way to Bombay. Combine fresh vegetables with fruits for a garden-fresh pasta salad for summer. Here’s the Provini pasta salad from the restaurant with the same name.
Ingredients:
Pasta of your choice, cooked
100 gm gorgonzola dolce, crumbled
1 cup baby arugula, loosely packed
1 cup frisée, torn
1 cup walnuts
¼ cup heavy cream or half-and-half (optional, for a saucier version)
2 small ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
Salt, pepper, lemon juice or white wine vinegar: to taste
Method:
- Heat walnuts over medium heat and toast until fragrant (about 2 to 3 minutes). Drizzle in the honey and salt, stirring quickly to coat.
- In a skillet, heat butter and olive oil. Sauté sliced pears until softened and slightly golden. Stir in the gorgonzola and heavy cream (if using).
- Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to coat. Add the arugula and frisée, until slightly wilted.
- Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice or splash of vinegar to brighten up. Top with honeyed walnuts and more gorgonzola, if desired.
4. Orzo in Kale and Hazelnut 'Pesto'
Yotam Ottolenghi, an Israeli-British chef's kale pesto.
Adding greens to your pasta is an art as much as it is a science. Yotam Ottolenghi’s kale and hazelnut ‘pesto’ with feta, orzo and red onion is a great way to sneak greens onto your plate.
Ingredients:
300 gm kale, stems removed, torn
150 gm cooked orzo
3 red onions, peeled
150 gm feta, crumbled
100 gm hazelnuts, blanched, roasted and chopped
40 gm basil, torn
2 anchovy fillets (avoid if vegetarian)
Olive oil and water: as needed for pesto
Salt, pepper, lemon juice: to taste
Method:
- Season the onions, add olive oil, and roast it at 220°C for 20 minutes. Stir once halfway.
- To make the pesto, blend half the kale (150 gm) with hazelnuts, feta, basil, olive oil, anchovies (if using), water, and pepper into a rough paste.
- Heat olive oil and add half the kale and salt it. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the leaves crisp and begin to brown.
- In the same pan, toast the uncooked orzo for 1 to 2 minutes before boiling it.
- Toss the warm cooked orzo with the pesto. Fold in the roasted onions, crisped kale, remaining hazelnuts, feta, and basil. Finish with lemon zest and juice to your liking.
