Patriotic Pasta
A popular side dish for our Independence Day menu, this hearty pasta salad is practically a meal in itself. It fit into our theme with the bright red cherry tomatoes, white noodles and cauliflower plus blue cheese. The creamy dressing is pleasantly zesty.
-Laurie Neverman, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Ingredients
- DRESSING:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1-1/2 teaspoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon honey mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- SALAD:
- 2-1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh basil or 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-1/2 cups fresh cauliflowerets
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1-inch strips
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Reviews
I really liked this. I did cheat, however and used a ranch dressing, but added blue cheese crumbles on top.
This salad was delicious. I did leave out the cauliflower and felt that the flavor was just fine without it. One thing I did was to cook the pasta and toss it with the oil mixture as specified, then chilled it overnight. I made the dressing separately and chilled it too, then combined the pasta, dressing and veggies the next morning. This gave make-ahead convenience and combined flavors, yet kept the salad fresh and flavorful.
Excellent salad. I used feta instead of bleu cheese; tasted great.
Have taken this salad to luncheons to rave reviews! Such great flavors and so pretty. Only issue is that it does not hold out well when refridgerated and gets kid of dried out. Better made the same day.