Minestrone Salad
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Martha Stewart Living, July 2001
- Yield Serves 4
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Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more for seasoning
- 8 ounces gemelli or other pasta, such as penne or rotini
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1 zucchini (about 6 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 4 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 1/4 cups corn kernels, cut from 1 ear, or frozen
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 pound assorted tomatoes, roughly chopped
Directions
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Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt to the boiling water. Add gemelli, and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water; set aside.
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Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add carrot, and cook until it softens, about 4 minutes. Add zucchini, green beans, and corn. Cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a medium bowl to cool. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, beans, tomatoes, and reserved pasta. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, if desired. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
I do not recommend using penne. The beans get stuck in the tubes, the dice of all of the vegetables lends much better to a smaller rounder pasta for uniformity of size and texture. I was not blown away by the dressing flavors (balsalmic olive oil). Found the recipe slightly labor intensive (sauteing the vegetables) for the outcome. Tried adding the oregano flakes and more balsamic. Could just be my palate or flavor expectations!
This is excellent! I added 1-2 teaspoons of dried oregano and that really added great flavor. I highly recommend this!
This recipe is a hit. I used it for Memorial Day and the fact the it was healthy and could be served at room temp was a plus. My sister is on a restricted diet and this was perfect. Unfortunat4ely, for me, there were no left-overs!
SINCE MINESTRONE SOUP IS SO GOOD, I KNEW WE HAD TO TRY THIS SALAD. WE WERE NOT DISSAPOINTED.