Macaroni Zucchini Tomato Salad

About this Recipe

This is a great easy salad recipe that you could add any type of vegetables you want or have. You can also add cheese to your pasta salad recipes to add some more flavor and nutrients too. Now pretty much every culture has its own type of pasta from rice noodles to wheat flour noodles, so it's safe to say that pasta is a well-loved food and that pasta recipes are some of the best recipes known. Pasta salads can be made with different types of pasta and are almost always served chilled with a vinaigrette or a mayonnaise dressing. Many times it's served as an appetizer or a side, but it can also be a main course as it's really filling. Also, it's often seen as a summertime or springtime recipe, but it can be made any time of year.

Grandmother's Tips for Macaroni Zucchini Tomato Salad:

1. You can make up macaroni salad recipes with so many varieties of steamed vegetables. If you have pasta lovers in your household, experiment with various sauces, dressing and vegetables.

2. Choose different shapes of pasta for macaroni salads. It is amazing how just choosing a new shape of pasta can give a whole new bit of 'jazz' to a plain pasta dish.

3. Precook the pasta and let it cool down when turning it into a salad dish and always just cook to al dente.


Ingredients

(Print)

Serves: 8-10

8 cups precooked macaroni - at room or refrigerator temperature

2 Tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil

1 medium sized onion, chopped

8 small Patty pan squash (2-3 inches in diameter) or 2 small (5-7 inch) zucchini, cut into bite size pieces

8-12 small sweet peppers chopped into small pieces

2 tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces, we leave the skins on

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons creamy balsamic glaze, we used Nonna Pia brand

Directions

1. Wash and chop all the vegetables into small bite-sized pieces.

2. Pour the oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat.

3. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes until cooked.

4. Add the Patty pan or zucchini and cook 2 minutes.

5. Add the sweet peppers and cook 1 minute.

6. Add the tomatoes and cook 5 minutes more.

7. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

8. Stir in the Nona Pia and do a taste test. Season to your satisfaction.

9. Put the pasta into a large bowl and add the Zucchini Tomato Mixture. Gently stir in.

10. This salad can be served cold, warm or hot.

11. It is a great dish for a potluck or picnic.

ENJOY!

Return to this Macaroni Zucchini Tomato Salad recipe or check out more recipes at Grandmother's Kitchen

Pasta salads are always a great option for meals and sides, as well as a great dish to bring to gatherings and potlucks. Pasta is such a versatile food because it's not only great warm with sauce on it, it's also great cold with vegetables and salad dressing. Usually, we tend to associate pasta with Italy, and many people think this is where pasta originated, but pasta noodles actually started out in Asia where they have been making noodles for thousands of years.

There are also many different types of gluten free pasta noodles which would work as an excellent substitute for the wheat pasta if you or someone who will be eating the pasta salad is gluten sensitive or celiac.

Go Go Quinoa pasta noodles are an awesome option because they tend to keep their firmness when cooked, unlike other gluten free pasta noodles. Speaking of keeping the firmness of pasta noodles when making a pasta salad, there are a few things you will want to keep in mind.

The main thing is to make sure that you don't overcook the pasta by carefully timing it and monitoring it. You can also test the noodles by taking one out of the water, allowing it to cool and then eat it to check it's firmness. Read the directions on the package of your pasta of choice and follow them for the best results. As you enjoy this pasta salad, take your time to enjoy each bite and all of the delicious flavors, savoring the amazing flavor of fresh vegetables, pasta and the flavorful dressing.



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