Recipe
I have made and eaten a lot of pasta salad in my life but until last week I hadn’t had one made with a sweet balsamic dressing. The addition of a bit of maple syrup adds a nice subtle sweetness. My daughter made it for dinner at her house last week and everyone thought it was delicious. The following recipe is a guideline; you will see I added a couple variations. Feel free to make it your own by adding or omitting ingredients to your liking. It’s a great salad to make using garden fresh onions, cucumbers and tomatoes. She used marinated mozzarella balls instead of cheddar cheese which was a nice touch.
Pasta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
• 1 lb Tricolor Pasta
• 1/2 Cucumber, chopped small
• 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup diced Red Onion or Green Onions
• 2/3 cup diced Tomatoes or Cherry Tomatoes halved
• 1/2 cup Black Olives or Kalamata Olives
• 8 oz Cheddar Cheese cubed or Marinated Mozzarella Balls
• 1/8- 1/4 cup of chopped fresh Basil
Dressing
• ¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar
• ½ cup Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp of Maple Syrup (add more or less to your taste)
• 1/8 tsp Garlic Powder
• Sprinkle of Onion Powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
Boil pasta until al dente, drain and allow to cool. Combine all ingredients for dressing and whisk until well blended. In a large bowl combine all salad ingredients, add dressing and toss to coat evenly.
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