Friday, September 10, 2010

Weekend Fare & Foodie Fridays

For our family gathering, I had a few food assignments and one was a side dish or salad. I went with the salad and we really like it! The ingredients of this pasta salad are reminiscent of a supreme pizza thus the name. The original recipe  is by Rachael Ray and I adapted it slightly for what we had. It went together so quickly and it's great because it won't spoil if it sits out for a bit. Perhaps my favorite ingredient was the fresh mushrooms - so good!



SUPREME PIZZA PASTA SALAD (adapted from Rachael Ray)
Print This Recipe

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 medium red or sweet onion, chopped
8 fresh white button mushrooms, sliced
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chopped 
40 pieces pepperoni, roughly chopped 
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, small diced
20 leaves fresh basil, torn or thinly sliced
1 pound pasta, cooked to al dente and cooled under cold water, then drained

Dressing:

1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon Italian dried seasoning
1 rounded tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, eyeball it
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
Freshly ground black pepper


Combine tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, peppers, pepperoni, mozzarella, basil and pasta in a big bowl. Whisk garlic salt, oregano or Italian seasoning, tomato paste and vinegar together. Stream in extra-virgin olive oil while continuing to whisk dressing. When oil is incorporated, pour dressing over pasta salad, add a few grinds of black pepper to the bowl, then toss salad to coat evenly. Adjust your seasonings and serve salad.

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FOODIE FRIDAYS!


We are so excited to give this feature a try. There is so much we can learn and share from one another! I find myself inspired by reading other blogs. We hope you will find this feature encouraging and inspiring.

Here are just a few guidelines for participating in Foodie Fridays:
1) Leave a link to your post with Mr. Linky.
2) Your entry can include a recipe, a kitchen success, an ingredient, a tradition, a book/magazine/restaurant review, a favorite (or not) tool or gadget, food photos, recipe website, a food memory, a cooking or eating experience or anything food related.
3) Please link back here in your participating post.

Hope you have fun, meet new people, learn a few things, feel encouraged, and find inspiration as you cook, bake, and entertain!



2 comments:

  1. I linked up my blog post about my current breakfast. A link back to The Cooks Next Door will come this evening when I'm not at work and have access to my server at home.

    Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just made this pasta salad for lunch and it was delicious. I used cherry tomatoes and turkey pepperoni based on what I had on hand. Thanks for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete