Creamy Mediterranean Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is a meal in itself, with broccoli, artichoke hearts, olives, roasted red peppers, courgette and more. The dressing is made by mashing avocado with shop-bought dressing, making it wonderfully creamy.
Ingredients
Serves: 10
- 350g penne or rotini pasta
- 1 small broccoli, broken into small florets
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 (280g) jar artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 1 (350g) jar pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
- 1 (250g) jar roasted red peppers, drained, cut into strips
- 4 plum tomatoes, diced
- 1 (350g) jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, cut into strips
- 1 small courgette, chopped
- 1 small cucumber, chopped
- 1 small yellow pepper, chopped
- 2 ripe avocados
- 450ml shop-bought Italian vinaigrette
Method
Prep:30min ›
Cook:15min ›
Extra time:1hr chilling ›
Ready in:1hr45min
- Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to the boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the pasta, and return to the boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink, rinse with cool water and place in a large bowl.
- Place a steamer insert into a saucepan, and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Cover, and bring the water to the boil over high heat. Add the broccoli and steam until just tender, 2 to 6 minutes depending on thickness. Rinse the broccoli with cold water, finely chop and add to pasta.
- Stir in the garlic, red onion, artichoke hearts, olives, roasted red peppers, plum tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, courgette, cucumber and yellow pepper and combine well.
- Cut the avocados in half, remove the stone and remove from the skin with a large spoon. Cut the avocados into large pieces, place in a small bowl and mash well with a fork. Slowly whisk in the salad dressing until well combined. Pour the avocado dressing into the pasta salad to taste, and gently toss. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
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Reviews & ratings
Average global rating:
(12)
Reviews in English (11)
My avocados weren't ripe enough, so I made this without, and it was still delicious. You can really make this according to your preference: I used 16 oz whole-wheat fusilli, omitted the broccoli and onion, roasted my own peppers, and made my own Greek dressing (red-wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, Dijon mustard, and fresh oregano). A great combination of veggies with lots of contrasting textures and vibrant flavors! It makes a ton, but as with any pasta salad, it's better the longer it sits. Can't wait to try this with avocados! UPDATE: The avocados added a nice creamy texture, but not much flavor. I think I'd rather just chop them up and mix them in with the rest of the veggies. - 03 Mar 2009 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)
It was good, but we only made for four people, and should have definitley cut in half or maybe by a third. Alot of Pasta Salad!! We had alot of leftovers. - 04 Apr 2009 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)
Loved everything except the artichokes and the zucchini. I think they gave it a sour/bitter taste. But I'm not a fan of either. Would leave them out next time. I used whole wheat pasta and it was great. Make sure you get a really ripe avocado! - 27 Apr 2009 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)