Three Greens Pasta Salad
Summer is here and it’s salad time! My vegetable and herb garden are the best they have ever been. Picking fresh tomatoes, green onions, basil and thyme made me in the mood for a salad that makes an entire meal. Add a bit of pasta and lunch or dinner is on its way. I used 3 greens—romaine, radish leaves (which are delicious and too often thrown away), and fresh organic spinach, as the salad’s foundation. I wanted a colorful vibrant salad and picked some reds—red bell pepper and radishes, crunch—green onions, and a bright vinaigrette—I gave you a few links to vinaigrettes I have used. The pasta adds you a nice full feeling. Suggestions for more protein include meat, cheese or beans. Eliminate the hard boiled egg for a vegan salad. And it does a foodie’s heart proud to pick from the garden for the table! Recipe is below.
Foodie Lit
Not all is not going smoothly in Margaret Manning’s life. While her husband first claimed to have read her novels. now he says he didn’t, Margaret is not so sure. Plot segments from her mysteries are entering her life. Online negative reviews of her books are appearing with words that her characters spoke. Is her husband Carl responsible? Some of her favorite lucky totems have disappeared, including those from her mother, who disappeared when Margaret was 6. Who is taking them? Is Carl trying to drive her over the edge and then have her committed? Is she really like her father’s Aunt Rosie, who was certifiably crazy?!
Trust and love seem out of Margaret’s grasp and then come from unexpected sources. Redemption arrives but not in the way she, or we as readers, think!
Three Greens Pasta Salad
Serves 4 as main; 6 as side
1/2 head romaine lettuce, washed and torn
2 large radishes and their greens, washed and torn
2 cups organic spinach, washed thoroughly and torn
1 -2 zucchini, sliced thinly
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
2 green onions, slice thinly and diagonally
1/2 red bell pepper, washed, deseeded and thinly sliced or chopped
6-7 fresh basil leaves, washed and torn
4-5 sprigs fresh parsley, washed chopped
1 cup vinaigrette (see link to recipes below)
8 ounces rigatoni or chunky pasta of choice
1 tablespoon vinaigrette
1 hard boiled egg, for garnish
1 baguette, sliced, toasted and buttered (link to recipe below)
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Wash greens and spin or pat them dry. Line a large bowl with the greens.
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Preheat oven to 400F. Wash and thinly slice zucchini. Place on a parchment lined oven proof pan. Drizzle olive oil on top. Sprinkle salt and pepper on zucchini. Roast in oven or toaster oven for about 30 minutes, or until the zucchini is slightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.
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Toss tomatoes, green onions, red bell pepper, basil and parsley into salad bowl.
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Boil rigatoni according to package instructions. Rinse and drain. Drizzle vinaigrette on pasta and then toss pasta to keep it from sticking.
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Add pasta to salad and gently toss. Add vinaigrette and toss to coat vegetables. Grate hard boiled egg on top.
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Serve a slice or two of the baguette on the side.
Link to baguette recipe
Link to vinaigrette dressings.
Chickpea Spinach Salad with Sugared almonds
Heirloom Tomato and Dressing Salad
expandthetable suggestions
Have leftovers? Put salad in a pita, wrap or baguette with a bit extra of the vinaigrette to soak into the bread, or try a Mediterranean approach with a schmear of humus on the bottom and tahini drizzled on top of the veggies.
Add protein:
1. Add 1 cup chopped cooked chicken
2. Add aged cheddar cheese, crumbled and sprinkled on top
3. Add 1 cup black beans, homemade or canned, rinsed thoroughly and patted dry
Vegan: Omit egg.
