Pasta salad for dinner?

18 years ago

DS is bringing his vegetarian girlfriend for dinner this weekend. My usual veggie meals are lasagna, eggplant parmesan, falafel, various soups.

But it's going to be HOT. I'm thinking of doing a cheese tortellini pasta salad. I have hundreds of cherry tomatoes on the vines, fresh hot and sweet peppers, and onions, of course. I might possibly add some blanched asparagus. I would use a vinaigrette type dressing, and serve on a bed of romaine. Homemade French bread, too.

What else should I serve to make this a nice meal? Dessert will be a rhubarb/cherry brown betty or crisp with ice cream.

Thank in advance!

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Comments (10)

User
18 years ago
Sounds like a lovely choice. Perhaps do the asparagus as a side instead of in the salad. Just would give another dimension to the plate.

Also would consider a nice bruschetta.
booberry85
18 years ago
How about a fruit tray: watermelon, cantaloupe, kiwis, berries, etc. No cooking & its very festive with all the different colors.
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That is a beautiful pasta sleevendog. I don't tend to use the longer pastas available around here because it's mostly smoother flat or round stuff. Or long round spirals and large chunky stuff. I have to admit I use cheaper pasta.. but it having a texture, tooth, or groves that are easy to get into is important. And messing around with flavors too. We tend to rotate more than you do than do a bunch of different ones at once.. it's just the two of us now so I have to remember to make less.. like we just finished up a 2-4 day run of eating out a batch of chicken bacon ranch pasta salad that overlapped the tail end of some horseradish brussels sprouts slaw.. tonight I'm cooking off little red taters while the kitchen is hot anyway to chill off to make another round of cold salad. I should do a bean salad soon. Something I've noticed about how I make batches of these kinds of salads is that the quantities of stuff kind of remains the same. Like a box/half/1/3 package depending on what kind it is is the "standard" amount of pasta I use depending on how many cans/meats/veggies. And to the thread in general.. does other cold pasta use count as salad? Or other cold service? Sometimes I make cold stuff with big pasta too. Like big tube pastas or shells, leftover lasagna noodles to stuff or roll up with tuna salad, chicken salad, veggie salads of minced tomato, cukes, onion, olives, ect.. and drizzle with the sauce of choice to keep the pasta moist till service. Having your salad in the pasta instead of having your pasta in the salad. I've done this sort of thing for larger party service on occasion. Or when I end up with tail end packages of big pasta for whatever reason and got a few to pack off with the random can of tuna or whatever for a couple lunches.
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obxgina
18 years ago
I like to serve gazpacho for nice hot summertime meals. Other than that, your meal sound really nice! Gina
hawk307
18 years ago
How about a Porterhouse Steak and tell her if she don't eat it " No Dessert "

I'm pushing my Light and Fluffly Cheesecake this week.
Does it count for a vegetarian dish.

LOU
Terri_PacNW
18 years ago
Mary, I think your meal sounds perfect, even for a meat eater like me..I could serve that and be happy, but I'd have to grill a steak to appease hubby. LOL
I think Chase and Boo bring great additions to the plate.
lindac
18 years ago
I made about an ocean of pasta salad this past week for 2 of the 3 funerals, and the vegitarians who were there appreciated it as an alternative to the ham and chicken sandwiches.
I agree with Chase who said serve the asparagus as a side.
My pasta salad contained onion, celery 3 colors of peppers, cuke, zucchini, carrots, broccoli and red cabbage.
And I also agree with those who suggested a fruit plate as a dessert, but I would add peaches to the mix. Does she eat eggs? Could you fill a merangue shell with fruit and skip the whipped cream?
Linda C
mary_c_gw
Original Author
18 years ago
Me too, Terri. My DH loves his meat, even if it's just a small slice. So does my son.

So there may be a small plate of thinly sliced rare steak. A fruit tray - maybe, but the girlfriend isn't a big fruit eater, and neither am I. Bruschetta sound good! I may also have some eggplants by the weekend, so possibly a baba ganoush with some pita chips.

Thanks, all!
mary_c_gw
Original Author
18 years ago
Linda, we were posting at the same time. I think everyone's right, the asparagus (which I know she loves) would be better as a side dish. I am going to stay with the rhubarb/cherry crisp with ice cream. DH and DS and the girlfriend all love this.

Me - shocking confession!! I don't like fruit, and I don't like ice cream - basically I don't like sweets at all, LOL. A one inch square of dark chocolate 3 or 4 times a year fulfills my sweet requirement.
Terri_PacNW
18 years ago
Mary, I wish I had that kind of desire..or lack there of...LOL

I want the Dark Chocolate on top of the fruit and ice cream! LOL
lpinkmountain
18 years ago
A really good spread for bruschetta is roasted eggplant and red pepper spread. Just roast a big peeled eggplant with some olive oil brushed on it. Then combine with a small jar of roasted red pepper in the food processor or blender. Very easy and very good. Can be jazzed up into baba ganoush with tahini, garlic, lemon and parsley. I like it plain better. Can also do a white bean spread or hummus. Spinach dip and pita are also good. I do these kinds of appetizers with a pasta course all the time. Also my special olive tapenade made with tofu. Always get raves on that. Can do marinated mushrooms as a topping for brushetta but I haven't found a recipe I like. Chase's homeade boursin is fantastic with fresh herbs, but might be a little cheesy with tortellini too. Fresh cruidites and dip are always welcome in the summer. I also agree that gazpacho made with fresh tomatoes this time of year can't be beat. Last weekend I served just cut up canteloupe as an appetizer, it was devoured.

Pasta salad for dinner?

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Pasta salad for dinner?

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