Antipasto Salad

Happy June! My allergies are absolutely killing me today, so I'm holed up in my dark apartment working on posts. I love pasta salads. This is one of the best ones I've made. I took it on a trip to Wisconsin Dells that we go on every year around St. Patricks Day. It was a great hit, especially during the late hours!

Antipasto Salad-adapted from That's Some Good Cookin'
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Serves 4

• 8 ounces spiral (or your choice) pasta
• 16 ounces giardiniera
• 1/4 pound pepperoni, diced
• 1/4 pound mozzarella cheese, diced
• 1/4 pound salami, diced
• 1 cup kalamata olives, sliced
• 1 cup red onion, diced
• 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
• 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup reserved giardiniera brine or white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Cook and drain pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, drain the giardiniera, reserving 1/2 cup of the brine. Chop the larger pieces into bite-size, if needed.

In a large bowl, combine pasta, giardiniera, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, salami, kalamata olives, onion, artichokes, tomatoes and basil. 

In a small bowl, make the dressing by whisking olive oil, reserved brine, salt, sugar, garlic salt and red pepper flakes. Pour over pasta mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

Cheese Enchiladas

I love me some Mexican food. I've been searching and searching for a good enchilada recipe and I think I finally found it! I just made these straight cheese, but you could certainly add pork, beef, chicken, you name it! They're easy and relatively quick!

Cheese Enchiladas-Adapted from That's Some Good Cookin'
Total Time 30 Minutes
Serves 8

• 8 flour tortillas
• 20 ounces enchilada sauce
• 2 cups Mexican shredded cheese
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• Sour cream, salsa, guacamole for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9 x 11 inch baking pan. Warm tortillas in the microwave for about 15 seconds to make more malleable.

Pour a small layer of enchilada sauce into the bottom of the baking dish (about a 1/2 cup). Pour remaining enchilada sauce into a large bowl. 

One at a time, dip both sides of the tortilla into the sauce and place on a plate. Top with about 3 tablespoons cheese and 1 teaspoon chopped onion. Fold enchiladas into a tight roll and place into baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas, layering them tightly next to each other in the baking pan.

Pour remaining enchilada sauce (you may not need all) over the tortillas and sprinkle with cheese. Place in oven, uncovered about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream, salsa, guacamole or your other condiment choice.

Tortellini Salad with Garlic Vinaigrette

Pasta salads are probably my favorite thing to take to parties. They're just so easy to put together ahead of time, and you don't have to worry about keeping them particularly cold or hot, as long as they aren't out so long you have to think about bacteria issues (yuck). Tortellini is one of my favorite pastas to put in pasta salad simply because it's so hearty and gives extra texture to the dish.

I loved this particular recipe. I thought the vinaigrette was sweet yet tangy, and adding the peperoncini's just added a little something extra. I also liked that the dressing can be added up to a day before, without worrying about sogginess. Using the tri-colored tortellini brought some extra color to the dish which is always fun too!

Tortellini Salad with Garlic Vinaigrette-adapted from That's Some Good Cookin'
Total Time: 20 Minutes + time for chilling
Serves 10
Dressing

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried basil

Pasta

• 20 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 8 ounces grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
• 1 cup kalamata olives, sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped peperoncini

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse, and set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine all ingredients for dressing and whisk well. 

Place pasta in a large serving bowl, and add in other ingredients for the pasta. Drizzle with dressing and toss lightly to coat. Refrigerate at least one hour to cool completely.

This can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance. Just stir the pasta before serving.