Robin: I could very well have named it “surprise salad” to reflect the way people often react when they first taste it: despite its rather insipid appearance, this pasta salad is loaded with flavor. Folks see a mild-mannered pasta salad and expect something, well, ho-hum at best—but once they take a bite, it’s a party in their mouth!
The great flavor here is largely due to the delicious dressing, as well as the mandatory resting time that allows the salad´s flavors to develop and meld. The dressing is a mixture of vinegar and sugar, similar to the one used for tangy coleslaw, and it makes all the difference.
Sweet and Sour Pasta Veggie Salad is the perfect side dish to take to a summer cook-out, potluck at work, or any informal gathering of friends and family. It’s easy and economical to make, and the flavors go well with a wide variety of other American foods. This recipe is also quite flexible, so it’s easy to add or subtract specific ingredients according to taste, and it’s a nice change from the many mayonnaise-based sides that are often the norm at casual get-togethers in the United States.
This salad keeps well, too, so it can be made a couple of days ahead— and any leftovers are still delicious several days after it’s made. You do need to let is sit for at least 6 hours before serving, though, so be sure to plan ahead.
Sweet and Sour Pasta Veggie Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 (9-ounce, about 250 grams) package of pasta in the shape of your choice (elbow macaroni, shells, bowties, etc.
- ½ of a small onion diced
- 1 red or green bell pepper (or half and half) diced
- 3 ribs of celery, including leaves diced
- 1 carrot peeled and grated
- 1 cup grated or crumbled mild-flavored cheese such as queso fresco, Monterrey Jack, or mozzarella
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
-
Pour the vinegar into a small saucepan and add the sugar. Heat, stirring often, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is transparent (no need to boil). Take the pan off the heat and allow this dressing to cool down while you do the rest.
-
Boil the pasta in a large pot of water until you reach the al dente stage; pasta should be tender enough to eat, but not so soft that it falls apart when stirred. Drain the hot water, rinse the pasta briefly in cold water to stop the cooking process, then drain well.
-
In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta with the diced onion, pepper, and celery; add the grated carrot and cheese and mix well.
-
Add the olive oil to the vinegar/sugar mixture and beat well with a whisk. Pour this dressing over the pasta salad and stir well.
-
At this point, the salad is edible, but will not have much flavor. Refrigerate it for at least 6 hours (preferably overnighto allow the flavors to develop.
-
Right before serving your delicious sweet and sour pasta veggie salad, stir one last time. Serve plain or over leaves of lettuce, if desired. Refrigerate any leftovers; they will keep well for several days.
Recipe Notes
This salad is very forgiving in regards to ingredient substitutions. Feel free to leave out any ingredients you don’t care for, or to bulk it up with additional vegetables such as cooked peas or corn kernels, diced raw zucchini or yellow squash, shredded cabbage, canned or raw mushrooms, etc.
Other refreshing salads:
Leave a Reply