Gazpacho Macaroni Salad

Nancy's Pantry's Note:

Although Gazpacho is traditionally an uncooked soup of pureed fresh vegetables, this recipe combines the chopped vegetables with pasta in the form of a salad. Prep time does not include marinating time.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 4 ounces uncooked macaroni
• 2 1/2 cups tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup cucumber, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped (or yellow or orange)
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons black olives, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced (or 1 tsp. dried parsley)
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced (or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 -4 dashes hot pepper sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• whole olive (to garnish)
• sliced cucumber (to garnish)
• dill sprigs (to garnish)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt. Drain and rinse well under cold water until pasta is cool; drain well.
2. Combine pasta and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours for flavors to blend. Remove bay leaf before serving. Garnish with whole olives, cucumber slices and dill sprigs, if desired. Can be served chilled or at room temperature.

Reviews

[JustJanS]

Another winning recipe thanks Nancy! This was so simple to make and really, really refreshing and yummy to eat. I loved the fact it was so very low in fat, but so flavourful. I made a half recipe for the two of us-I think it would have been enough for 4 (less greedy than us) people!