Remember those birthday parties I rambled on about for weeks? Well, one of the biggest challenges is what to serve at a birthday party. Both of my kids are at an age where parents still attend the parties so the aim is to get birthday party food that pleases kids and parents alike.
One solution: pasta salad with prosciutto and summer squash!
No, not the pasta salad of yore that is drenched in mayo and leads to sighs of “this again”. This is fresh, summer pasta salad! Read on for the deets
What you’ll need:
(adapted from Cooking Light)
– 1 box seashell shaped pasta (really any shape like rotini, ziti, etc. will do)
– 4 Summer squash (I mixed squash and zucchini), chopped into 1 –
1 1/2 inch pieces
– 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
– 6 oz thinly sliced prosciutto
– 4 ounces gouda or havarti cheese, chopped
– 1/2 tsp salt
– 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
– 4 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
– 1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
– 3 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
– 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
Let’s make it!
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box subtracting 2 minutes of the cooking time (i.e. if box says 11 minutes, cook it for 9 minutes)
3) While pasta cooks, place prosciutto in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until crisp in 400 degree oven. **I put it on a cooling rack placed on top of a baking sheet so more fast will drain and it crisps better**
4) With one minute left to go on the cooking time, throw in your squash. Finish cooking for the final minute. Drain; rinse under cold water to cool.
5) Combine pasta mixture, onion and cheese in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper. Stir.
6) In a small bowl, combine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard and rosemary. Whisk to combine. Add mixture to pasta and toss gently.
7) Just before serving, crumble crispy prosciutto into salad and toss gently.
© 2012 Just Us Four. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Love pasta salad and I enjoy trying so many new ones. The addition of the squash & zucchini in this one is great!
This pasta salad sounds delicious, I think it will be on the menu next week.
Shannah, I’ve been so pleasantly surprised with how easy PW’s recipes actually are. They really don’t take too much time and are so full of flavor
I LOVE squash in salads…. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Crystelle
http://www.crystelleboutique.com/
This pasta salad sounds so good! We’re big fans of the cold pasta salads during these hot summer months in TX! I would love to invite you to share this recipe at Mom’s Test Meal Mondays!
http://momstestkitchen.blogspot.com/2012/09/moms-test-meal-mondays-7.html
Man this looks great!! I have never tried pruschuitto, I think it’s about time I do. Thanks for linking up to Tip toe thru Tuesday. I hope we see you next week!
Shannah,
Great solution for kids and parents. This looks very scrumptious! I can’t wait to try the recipe. Thanks so much for linking up last week to Creative Thursday. Can’t wait to see what you have for this week’s party! Have a great week.
Michelle
Oh- that is perfect for me. I love all the ingredients.
Love for you to link this recipe (and a couple others if you’d like!) to Wonderful Food Wednesday at http://www.athometake2.com. Hope to see you there!
Yummy, that looks really tasty. Thank you for sharing the recipe
Hi there. This week’s Food on Friday is all about ham. So it would be great if you linked this in. This is the link . Have a good week.
PS I am following you now. If you like Carole’s Chatter it would be great if you followed me back.
Yum! Thanks for linking up to our Pretty Things Party. Hope to see you back next week!