Spring Pasta Salad With Asparagus, Tomato and Mozzarella

"Spring is in the air! So many recipes come to mind this time of year. Here's one you're sure to enjoy."
 
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photo by pamela_newberry photo by pamela_newberry
photo by pamela_newberry
Ready In:
1hr 5mins
Ingredients:
10
Serves:
4-6
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ingredients

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directions

  • Put up a large pot of salted water for cooking the pasta and bring it to a boil.
  • Add the asparagus and blanch it until just tender, about 3 minutes.
  • Scoop the asparagus from the water with a large strainer spoon and place in a colander. Run cold water over it to stop the cooking process, and to preserve the bright green color. Drain well and slice into small pieces on the diagonal, leaving the tips whole.
  • Bring the water back to a rapid boil and cook the penne until just al dente (tender but slightly firm to the bite). Run the pasta under cold water and drain very well.
  • In a large serving bowl, add the pasta, the blanched asparagus and all the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and toss well until all the pasta is well coated with dressing. Taste for seasoning. This is best served at room temperature.
  • Note: Another lovely addition to this pasta is about 3/4 cup freshly shelled spring peas. Blanch them for 1 minute in the boiling pasta water after you blanch the asparagus. Drain well and add them to the bowl along with the other ingredients.

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Reviews

  1. Hi Diane, We had this for a lovely quick meal tonight and ate it hot, really lovely and fresh tasting and the asparagus shone through. This will be one of our regulars.
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I would like to welcome you to my recipes. I have been with Food.com since 10/05. My beloved husband, Tom, passed away 3 years ago. My world stopped. It's taken me all this time to find my way back to life without him. I have been so blessed to have found my second, once in a lifetime. I've met an amazing man who is so good to me. We moved from Las Vegas, Nevada to Bullhead City, Az. in February, and we love it here. I have worked at Bally's and Paris hotel.casinos, in Las Vegas. I have seen some very famous entertainers, including Liza Minnelli, Penn and Teller, Ray Liotta, Dr. J (Julius Erving), Frank Sinatra and his wife Barbara Marx. and many, many more. Cooking is my passion, and I am slowly, but surely beginning to venture into the world of baking. To me, cooking is so much easier because baking is so much more exact. I love to make Italian and Mexican food the best, followed by Chinese and last, but by far the least, good old American food! How can you beat chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy?? I love to find several recipes and put my own spin on them and create a new recipe.
 
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