Sunday was the official start of football season, which is practically a holiday in this house! We decided to grill out with burgers, and when I headed to the store I decided to make pasta salad (I had all the ingredients at home) instead of spending $4.99/lb for the pre-made one in the deli department. Of course, it’s easier to just buy it, but I do like making things and knowing all the ingredients going into it!
I got home and my husband had the grill ready for burgers – which I was not expecting! This meant I had to whip up the pasta salad quickly. First, I boiled my pasta and at the two minutes of the water boiling, I added my broccoli and cauliflower, to help soften it just a touch. Then, because I didn’t have time to let it drain, I rinsed with cool water and threw the whole thing in my salad spinner to dry it off! I couldn’t believe how well it worked to get rid of excess water. I then added my tomatoes and olives and dressing, and yum!
So for quick reference – to make your pasta salad making experience easier:
1) Cook broccoli and cauliflower (if you’re using them) with the pasta in the last few minutes of cooking time.
2) Use a salad spinner to get rid of excess water.
Do you have any quick and easy tips for cooking? What’s your favorite?
I love using my salad spinner to dry berries, in addition to lettuce obviously, but I never thought to use it for pasta or veggies. (I bet you could use it for blanched vegetables, too.) Great tip. Thanks.
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That’s a great tip! The only tip I have is to precook bacon and keep it in the fridge. It’s great to crumble to add to pasta salads or hot pasta dishes.
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Awesome! Thank you for sharing that tip. Always looking to save time at dinner time.
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