Black bean salad with mango, on the Cooking Light website

My former boss made a salad for a luncheon once that was the best salad ever -- this was 17 years ago and I still try to recreate it and can't seem to get it exactly right. It had chicken, tarragon, and shell pasta, a bit of mayo I think, and I'm not sure what else. So good!

My super easy, go-to pasta salad contains whatever pasta I happen to have in the cabinet, whatever veggies I feel like tossing in, and lite Italian dressing. Really sort of lame, but everyone seems to like it. Sometimes I add some feta cheese, sometimes use different dressings like Greek/vinaigrette.

Can you tell I'm not a gourmet cook?

We really like the one below. Got it at the old Todd Wilbur's Top Secret Recipes message board. (That was such a great board, never understood why he shut it down.)

I make the salad ahead (except for Romaine) and refrigerate so that it is cold.

Trattoria Salad

Melissa@TSR
This is another one of my sister's recipes. After I had tasted it, I knew that I had to have the recipe. I was surprised at the simplicity of it. This has such a wonderful flavor, my mom thinks it could be served in a fancy Italian restaurant. I agree. This is one of my all-time favorite salads. It is nearly impossible to stop eating it.
1 can marinated artichoke hearts, diced
1/2 box bowtie pasta, cooked & cooled
olive oil as needed (approximately 3-5 tablespoons)
balsamic vinegar as needed (approximately 1-2 tablespoons)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 block mozzarella cheese, cubed
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 sm. head of Romaine, cut into ribbons

Add all ingredients together, including marinade from the artichokes, & toss with olive oil & vinegar. Add black pepper to taste. Serve.

YIELD: 6 servings

Final Comments: If you make ahead of time, add all except the lettuce & let marinade in the fridge. Toss in lettuce right before serving. This salad is even better when served with some hot French bread. So yummy!

Here is one of my favorite summer salads

Special Seseme Chicken Salad
1 package (16 ounces) bow tie pasta
1 cup canola oil
2/3 cup white wine vinegar
2/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cans (11 ounces each) mandarin oranges, drained
2 cans (8 ounces each) sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1-1/3 cups honey-roasted peanuts
1 package (9 ounces) fresh spinach, torn
1 package (5 ounces) dried cranberries
6 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and place in a very large bowl.
In a small bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, teriyaki sauce, sugar and pepper. Pour over pasta and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Just before serving, add the remaining ingredients; gently toss to coat. Yield: 22 servings (1 cup each).

Thanks everyone. So far all of your favorites are things that I would try!

This is my favorite. With 422 reviews and five stars you know it's gotta be good.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ina Garten Shrimp Orzo Salad

I can tell I'm going to be making a lot of salads this summer. They all sound so yummy. Here's one of my favorites.

Summer Pasta Salad

INGREDIENTS

â¢3/4 cup Marzettiî Classic Ranch Dressing
â¢8 oz fusilli pasta
â¢1 cup broccoli florets
â¢1 cup artichoke hearts, quartered
â¢1 zucchini, diced
â¢1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
â¢1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
â¢1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
â¢1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
â¢1/4 cup pitted and halved kalamata olives

PREPARATION

Cook pasta according to package directions. Place broccoli in a strainer; drain cooked pasta in same strainer. Run cool water over all and drain well. Transfer pasta and broccoli to a serving bowl. Add Marzettiî Ranch Dressing and remaining ingredients and toss gently to coat. Serve or store covered in refrigerator until serving time.

caminric, I've made that shrimp/orzo salad many times and it's always a hit. I love it. It's pretty easy to throw together, too.

We have a picnic to go to tomorrow so I'm making cole slaw...an oldie but goodie. I usually add radishes for a little more color.....

Here is a link that might be useful: Country style cole slaw

If you are looking for a tuna pasta salad, this is the best. I usually use one can of the chunk light and one can of the white as I find the chunk light is more flavorful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tuna Pasta Salad

This is my favorite - Orzo with feta, tomato and green onion - from Epicurious.com

Yield: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup olive oil

6 cups chicken broth
1 pound orzo (or riso)

2 cups red and yellow teardrop or grape tomatoes, halved
1 7-ounce package feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

Preparation
Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.)

Bring broth to boil in large heavy saucepan. Stir in orzo, reduce heat to medium, cover partially, and boil until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Transfer to large wide bowl, tossing frequently until cool.

Mix tomatoes, feta, basil, and green onions into orzo. Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Add pine nuts; toss. Serve at room temperature.

Bon Appétit, April 2006
by Giada De Laurentiis
photo by: Victoria Pearson

I keep diced red, orange and yellow peppers, cucumber, tomatoes and red onions in separate containers in the refrigerator all summer long. I mix equal amounts of each with a little mayonnaise, lemon zest, salt and pepper for an easy summer side dish. It also tastes good with feta if you switch out the mayonnaise to a light vinaigrette. Because of all of the different colors and small dice, I call it confetti salad.

I use many of Ina's recipes. I make her orzo with roasted vegetables frequently. I always wonder why a recipe will have hundreds of reviews. You mean the first 100 people haven't already said what you have to say? Sometimes the epicurious reviews are funny because they LOVE the recipe but then you read that they substituted every ingredient so they didn't even make the recipe, but a whole other dish.

I know you're asking for green or pasta salads but I want to mention the perfect fruit salad. Blueberries, strawberries, and nectarines. Nothing more, nothing less. Perfection. I have this all summer long.

I make the linked garbanzo bean recipe and eat it as a salad and not stuffed in a pita or with the yogurt.

Here is a link that might be useful: Moroccan Garbanzo Bean and Feta

This is neither green nor pasta but it is the summeriest!

Watermelon
Tomatoes
Goat Cheese
Basil Vinaigrette

Cut watermelon and tomatoes the same size, then crumble goat cheese and add vinaigrette just before serving.

Yummy. I needed a recipe for an event tomorrow night, so I made the first part of the Trattoria Salad that Melissa posted above. I can't wait to taste it. It smells delicious.

I dislike the creamy white condiments (mayo, ranch, etc etc) so that limits what kind of salads I will eat. But it's saved me a lot of calories over the years too! :-)

This is my go-to cold summer salad. I could eat it every day.

Here is a link that might be useful: Giada - Red Potato and Tomato Salad