Tag Archives: pasta

Orzo Salad with Corn, Tomatoes, and Basil

What is it about pasta salad that makes it such a good go-to dish to make when attending a warm weather get-together?  A few weekends ago, my friend had a few people over to swim at her pool and like the great hostess that she is, she had plenty of food and snacks waiting for guests upon arrival.  When I walked into her kitchen, I saw the biggest bowl of homemade pasta salad and turned to look at the friend I arrived with who was carrying her own container of homemade pasta salad.  We both just shrugged because, really, can you ever have too much pasta salad?  Ironically, earlier that morning, I had every intention on making Orzo Salad with Corn, Tomatoes, and Basil to take to the party but decided I didn’t have enough time.  Probably a good thing.

Even though pasta can sometimes be heavy, there is something about a cold, light pasta salad when it’s warm out that hits the spot.  This colorful pasta salad is made with orzo (rice-shaped pasta) and fresh ingredients of corn, tomatoes, and basil.  The whole mixture is livened up with a refreshing and simple vinaigrette of lemon juice, olive oil, and red wine vinegar.  I took a short-cut and used thawed frozen corn in place of fresh and didn’t really notice a difference.  I think canned would work here too.  Next time you think about making a pasta salad for a summer event, consider making this.  Just call first dibs on whose bringing the pasta salad.

The ingredients:

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.  While the pasta cooks, combine lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and crushed garlic in a small bowl.  Set aside. 

Drain pasta and place in a large bowl.  Pour half of the dressing over orzo and toss.  Allow to cool to room temperature.  

Once pasta is at room temperature, add the remaining dressing, corn, tomato, and basil to pasta and toss to coat.  Let pasta salad stand for 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.

Additions:  None

Omissions: 

  • Red onion

Substitutions:  None

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Tortellini Caprese Bites with Basil Vinaigrette

I could probably revolve my entire blog on different caprese recipes.  I could happily eat tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil at any time in just about any way possible.  Does anyone else feel this way?  Most people seem to like tomatoes and mozzarella together so when I went to my friend’s house for a cookout and pool party this past weekend, I decided to bring Tortellini Caprese Bites with Basil Vinaigrette. 

Simple cheese tortellini is cooked and cooled, skewered with grape tomatoes and mozzarella balls and bathed in a vinaigrette of basil, olive oil and white balsamic vinegar.  Never had white balsamic vinegar?  Neither had I.   In fact, I didn’t even know it existed.  I’m now in love with it.  This little appetizer was a big hit and there was nary a skewer left at the end of the hot, sunny day.  I used refrigerated whole-wheat cheese tortellini (only because the store was out of regular cheese tortellini) but I believe any flavor would be delicious (such as cheese & prosciutto or cheese & spinach).  This simple vinaigrette is a good one to remember for vegetables, salads or pasta as well.  Consider taking these vibrant and visually appealing appetizers to your next get-together.  They are sure to be a hit.

If you like this, also check out Cherry Tomato Bites.

The ingredients:

Prepare tortellini according to package directions and cool under cold water.  Cut grape tomatoes in half and drain mozzarella balls from the water it comes in.  On each skewer, thread 1 tomato half, 1 mozzarella cheese ball, another tomato half, and 1 tortellini.  Place the skewers in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

In a small bowl, whisk vinegar and salt until blended.  Slowly pour the olive oil into the vinegar, whisking constantly until well combined.  

Stir in basil and freshly ground pepper.

Pour Basil Vinaigrette over skewers, turning to coat.  Cover and chill 2 hours. 

Transfer skewers to a serving platter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Source:  Southern Living Magazine

Spinach-Feta Stuffed Shells

As I mentioned two weeks ago, I can’t stop eating spinach. Maybe my body is needing iron, who knows. I’ve had this recipe for Spinach-Feta Stuffed Shells for quite a while and this seemed like a perfect time to make them. These aren’t quite your traditional stuffed shells because they have cottage cheese and feta instead of ricotta cheese. Using cottage cheese in place of ricotta is nothing new to me because my mom never used ricotta in recipes like this but always used cottage cheese instead. It provides a different texture to these shells which works well with the spinach.

These aren’t overly cheesy which is one thing about them that I like. The tomato-basil feta adds a little bite and the parsley adds a happy freshness but the spinach is the real star of this show. If you are willing to branch out and try something a little different than your normal shells, give these a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Also consider Pumpkin-Ricotta Stuffed Shells.

The ingredients:

Cook the shells according to package directions and let cool. In a bowl, combine cottage cheese, feta cheese, parsley, salt, nutmeg, spinach, and garlic.

Pour marinara into a cold large skillet and add the basil.

Spoon the cottage cheese-spinach mixture into cooled shells and set each shell into the marinara sauce.

Move skillet to the stove over medium-high heat. Bring the sauce to a boil. Cover and reduce heat, allowing the sauce to simmer for 15 minutes.

Serve shells with crumbles of feta and fresh parsley.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

  • Fat-free tomato-basil feta cheese

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

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