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Mediterranean Pasta Salad

This Mediterranean pasta salad recipe is bursting with fresh flavor! Mix up a batch as an easy side dish or quick lunch.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Here’s a colorful, fresh recipe that’s ideal for summer or anytime: Mediterranean pasta salad recipe! This instantly became a favorite summer side dish with its zingy, bright flavors. Imagine: cool cucumber, juicy tomatoes and peppery arugula, mixed with chewy pasta and salty pops of feta cheese. Hearty sundried tomato gives it an even more irresistible quality to each bite. We served it at a cookout where it got rave reviews, and leftovers are equally as tasty as a lunch idea! This one quickly jumped to the top of our favorite pasta salad recipes.

Ingredients in Mediterranean pasta salad

The concept of pasta salad is an American invention. The first macaroni salad recipe was published in 1914, and it’s spawned loads of variations since then! Mediterranean pasta salad is a thoroughly American concept starring flavors inspired by the region: tomatoes, cucumber, and feta cheese. Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this Mediterranean pasta salad recipe:

  • Fusilli (spirals) or other short-cut pasta
  • Cucumber
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Sundried tomatoes
  • Artichoke hearts
  • Red onion
  • Baby arugula
  • Feta cheese
  • Mediterranean dressing: lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, Italian seasoning, olive oil

The basic idea is simple: boil the pasta, chop the veggies, then toss with a simple Mediterranean-style dressing. It takes about 30 minutes to whip up, and it’s well worth the time.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Use any type of short cut pasta

This Mediterranean pasta salad works with any type of short-cut pasta noodle. We like it best with spirals, but it’s just as good with bowties or penne. Whatever the case, make sure to cook the pasta to al dente (see below). Here are a few other pasta shape ideas for mixing it up with this pasta salad:

  • Spirals (fusilli)
  • Bowties (farfalle)
  • Penne
  • Shells (conchiglie)
  • Orecchiette
  • Gemelli
  • Gigli
Mediterranean Pasta Salad recipe

Tips for cooking pasta to al dente

Al dente means “to the bite” in Italian: pasta that’s tender with a firm center. It’s extremely important to cook the pasta to al dente for a pasta salad: overcooked pasta turns out rubbery, soft and unappetizing. (Interestingly, it also has less nutrients and makes you less full.) Here are some tips on how to cook pasta to al dente:

  • Set your timer a few minutes before the package instructions indicate. The timing on many pasta packages indicates to cook the pasta too long. Start taste testing the pasta a few minutes before the package says to.
  • Taste test and look for small white fleck at the core. Catch it right when there’s a small white fleck at the core, or just when it disappears: then immediately drain the pasta. For pasta salad, we like to rinse the pasta in cool water until it cools down enough to make into the salad.

Make ahead and storage for Mediterranean pasta salad

This Mediterranean pasta salad recipe tastes best the day it is made, as as flavor-packed side dish. But you can also make it in advance and refrigerate until serving, or keep it refrigerated as a lunch idea to munch on throughout the week. Here are a few tips for storage:

  • Mediterranean pasta salad lasts for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. It’s ideal for making ahead or healthy lunches throughout the week.
  • Refresh the flavors before serving. Bring the salad to room temperature. Then stir in a drizzle of olive oil and a bit more crumbled feta cheese. You may or may not need an extra pinch of salt.
Mediterranean Pasta Salad

More pasta salad recipes

Love pasta salads? Us too. Try these fun pasta salad ideas:

This Mediterranean pasta salad recipe is…

Vegetarian. For vegan or plant-based, omit the feta cheese and add a bit more salt.

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Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 5 to 6
Print Recipe

Description

This Mediterranean pasta salad recipe is bursting with fresh flavor! Mix up a batch as an easy side dish or quick lunch.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces fusilli pasta
  • 1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced into half moons (2 cups)
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • ¼ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 can artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
  • 1 handful thinly sliced red onion
  • 2 cups baby arugula (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove, grated (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup feta cheese crumbles (omit for vegan and add more salt)

Instructions

  1. Start a large pot of well-salted water to boil. Boil the pasta until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and run cool water over it until it’s room temperature.
  2. Meanwhile, slice the cucumber and tomatoes, chop the sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts, and slice the onion.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, Italian seasoning, and kosher salt. Then whisk in the olive oil.
  4. Once the pasta is done, add it to the large bowl of dressing and toss with the chopped vegetables. Add the feta cheese and fresh ground black pepper and stir to combine. 
  5. Taste and add more salt to taste if necessary. Serve immediately. Stores up to 5 days refrigerated (leftovers taste great; allow to come to room temperature and add a swirl more olive oil or a bit more salt as necessary).
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Pasta Salad
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Mediterranean pasta salad

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.



from A Couple Cooks https://ift.tt/qtlLfH6
- August 31, 2022
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Perfect Blueberry Crumble

This blueberry crumble recipe is a favorite! The nostalgic summer dessert stars a sweet tart fruit filling topped with buttery crumbles.

Blueberry Crumble

Looking for a blueberry dessert that’s as perfect as they come? This Blueberry Crumble recipe is the perfect nostalgic treat for ending a meal. It’s got a juicy, fruity berry filling seasoned with cinnamon, allspice and lemon zest, topped with buttery, crispy crumbles. Add melty vanilla ice cream and it’s truly a sublime treat. In fact, we’ve stopped making blueberry crisp all together because this crumble is next level.

Ingredients in this blueberry crumble recipe

This blueberry crumble recipe is our favorite alternative to a crisp, though we love both nearly equally. The difference between a crumble and a crisp? Technically, a crisp has oats or nuts in the topping and a crumble does not: it’s essentially butter, flour and sugar. The lines have blurred in modern definitions of these recipes, so often you’ll see crumbles with oats. As much as we love oats, we went with the classic definition of a crumble here: and it was well worth it. Here’s what you’ll need for this blueberry crumble:

  • Blueberries
  • Granulated sugar
  • Cornstarch
  • Lemon zest
  • Unsalted butter
  • All purpose flour
  • Cinnamon and allspice
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
Blueberry

Use fresh or frozen blueberries

Don’t feel like you have to have a load of fresh blueberries for this one! This recipe calls for 4 cups fresh blueberries: which we had on hand from blueberry picking in Michigan. Don’t have access to that many blueberries? You can use frozen too! Add them to the recipe frozen: no need to defrost. Keep in mind that store-bought frozen berries can be a little more tart than fresh berries, so you may want to add a hint more sugar to the filling.

There are special precautions to take for baking with blueberries in cobbler, muffins and scones (the berries can bleed and dye the baked goods purple!). But with a crumble, there’s no risk: the berries don’t mix with the dry goods. This crumble is also a great place to use fresh blueberries that you froze to preserve them: just throw them into the pan frozen.

Blueberry crumble recipe

A note on the butter

This recipe calls for 7 tablespoons butter: which is an odd number. If you bake a lot, you’ll notice most crumble and crisp recipes call for either 6 tablespoons of butter or 8 tablespoons. But trust us! Seven is the magic number here, and it makes for absolutely perfect crumbles.

Want to make this blueberry crumble vegan? Just use vegan butter in place of standard butter: it works like a charm.

How to serve blueberry crumble

Once you’ve got your beautiful blueberry crumble, you’ll find it tastes great right out of the pan. But like most crumble recipes, it tastes even better topped with vanilla ice cream! The contrast of rich cream against the tart berries is perfection. Here are a few of our favorite toppings for this stunning dessert:

Blueberry Crumble

Leftover storage info

Want to save this blueberry crumble? This dessert saves well at room temperature, refrigerated or frozen.

  • Keep the crumble for 1 day loosely covered at room temperature. This helps to maintain the crumble texture.
  • Refrigerate for up to 3 days. It holds up pretty well in the fridge, and tastes even better when reheated.
  • Freeze up to 3 months. Freeze for up to 3 months in a sealed container. Reheat it in a 350 degree oven until bubbly.

More blueberry desserts

This blueberry crumble is a favorite of our top blueberry desserts. Here are a few more to try:

This blueberry crumble recipe is…

Vegetarian. For vegan and plant-based, use vegan butter.

Print
Blueberry Crumble

Perfect Blueberry Crumble

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 8
Print Recipe

Description

This blueberry crumble recipe is a favorite! The nostalgic summer dessert stars a sweet tart fruit filling topped with buttery crumbles.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen*)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or vegan butter)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Make the filling: In a medium bowl, mix the blueberries, ½ cup sugar, cornstarch, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, allspice, and lemon zest. Pour into a round 9-inch pie pan, 9 x 9 inch baking dish or 7 x 11 baking dish.
  3. Make the topping: In a medium bowl, add the remaining ½ cup sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, flour, baking powder and kosher salt. Mix together with a fork. Pour in the melted butter while mixing with the fork until a crumbly mixture forms. Use your fingers to sprinkle the crumbles evenly over the filling.
  4. Bake: Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the top is evenly golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool for 1 hour, then serve. You can leave it out on the counter for up to 1 day (covered, at night) so the topping can stay crisp. After 1 day, refrigerate any leftovers. It also freezes well for several months in a sealed container; reheat it in a 350 degree oven until bubbly.

Notes

*No need to defrost frozen berries before using. Note that storebought frozen berries can be a little more tart than fresh berries; if desired, add a hint more sugar to the filling (to taste). 

  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Dessert
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Blueberry crumble, blueberry crumble recipe

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.



from A Couple Cooks https://ift.tt/XdhezFE
- August 30, 2022
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Salmon Sandwich with Dill Sauce

This salmon sandwich recipe is bursting with flavor! Top the savory fish with feta crumbles and creamy dill sauce.

Salmon Sandwich

Want an interesting way to serve everyone’s favorite fish? Try this Salmon Sandwich with Dill Sauce! There’s something so satisfying about a good fish sandwich, and this one is irresistibly tasty. Throw a fillet of Old-Bay seasoned pan seared salmon onto a bun, then top with feta crumbles, red onion and creamy, lemony dill sauce. This is one for the books: our entire family loved it. Here’s what to do!

Ingredients for this salmon sandwich

You can build a salmon sandwich in many ways, like a Smoked Salmon Sandwich or a Salmon Salad Sandwich. But this one is a straight up salmon sandwich, pairing a lovely fillet of salmon with a creamy dill sauce. Here’s what you’ll need to put together this simple meal:

  • Salmon fillets, skin on (wild caught if possible)
  • Old Bay seasoning
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Dill Sauce
  • Buns or focaccia bread
  • Baby arugula
  • Red onion slices
  • Feta cheese crumbles
Salmon Sandwich

How to cook the salmon: pan fry or grill

This salmon sandwich recipe works with any type of cooking method for salmon. In the recipe below, we list instructions on how to pan fry the salmon. It comes out delicious and works in any season! Of course, if it’s grill season, grilled salmon is the way to go. You can also use any of these other options for how to cook salmon, adjusting the flavor to align with the Old Bay seasoning in this recipe:

  • Pan seared salmon: It’s fast and easy, and cooks in about 10 minutes. Go to the recipe below!
  • Grilled salmon: If it’s grilling season, pull out the grill for this one! Go to Easy Grilled Salmon.
  • Broiled salmon: This cooking method is very quick and totally hands off. Go to Quick Broiled Salmon.
  • Baked salmon: This oven baked salmon is a stand-by easy cooking method.

How to buy a great piece of salmon

This salmon sandwich is dependent on one thing: the quality of the salmon! Unfortunately there’s no way to “fix” poor quality salmon: even drowning it with a sauce. Keep in mind: lower quality salmon can taste fishy and have a mushy texture. You can use frozen salmon, but we’ve found that fresh salmon tends to taste better and be higher quality. Here’s how to buy a great piece of salmon:

  • Buy wild caught salmon. Fish that is wild caught in your country is usually a sustainable choice. There are also quality options in well-regulated farms; see Seafood Watch Consumer Guide. Buy it fresh from the fish counter if you can; frozen works too.
  • Look for US caught (if you’re in the US). 90% of the seafood we eat in the US is imported. Imported seafood runs the risk of being overfished, caught under unfair labor practices, or farmed in environmentally harmful ways.
  • Coho is a good choice for great flavor. We tend to like Coho salmon for its mild flavor: it’s a good middle of the road option in terms of price. Of course, King salmon is incredible but it’s on the expensive end. Atlantic salmon is typically farmed salmon, so we tend to avoid it: however, we have found some good quality Atlantic salmon fillets at the fish counter.
Dill sauce for salmon

For the dill sauce

This salmon sandwich owes everything to the creamy Dill Sauce, which drapes everything in a luxuriously silky, herbaceous drizzle. Don’t attempt to make this sandwich without it (or use one of the substitutes below). The sauce requires simple ingredients and comes together quickly. You’ll need:

  • Sour cream
  • Mayonnaise
  • Fresh dill
  • Lemon juice
  • Garlic powder
  • Dried dill
  • Sugar
  • Salt

You can also use this sauce simply for serving with plain grilled, broiled or pan seared salmon for a simple meal. It adds a bright pop of flavor and looks lovely too. Head to Dill Sauce for Salmon for more.

Alternative sauce ideas

Not a big dill person? Just make sure to serve this sandwich with a creamy sauce, otherwise it’s much too dry. Here are a few alternative salmon sandwich sauce ideas:

And that’s it! This tasty salmon sandwich is perfect as a healthy dinner recipe: we love it especially as a summer dinner on the patio. But of course, it works in any season! Let us know if you try it in the comments below.

Salmon Sandwich Recipe

More salmon recipes

Love salmon? Here are some of our favorite salmon recipes that make a great meal:

This salmon sandwich recipe is…

Pescatarian.

Print
Salmon Sandwich

Salmon Sandwich with Dill Sauce

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4
Print Recipe

Description

This salmon sandwich recipe is bursting with flavor! Top the savory fish with feta crumbles and creamy dill sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound salmon fillets, skin on (wild caught if possible)
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for brining
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 recipe Dill Sauce
  • 4 buns, focaccia bread, or other buns 
  • Baby arugula
  • Red onion slices
  • Feta cheese crumbles

Instructions

  1. Brine the salmon* (optional): In a large shallow dish, whisk together 4 cups room temperature water and 3 tablespoons kosher salt until dissolved. Place the salmon in the water and wait for 15 minutes. Otherwise, allow the salmon to come to room temperature. 
  2. Pan sear the salmon (or grill the salmon): Pat the salmon dry with a clean towel. Sprinkle it with the kosher salt, Old Bay seasoning, and generous grinds of fresh ground pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the salmon skin side up and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until cooked about halfway to the center of the thick part of salmon.
  3. Flip the salmon (a fish spatula makes easy work of it). Tilt the pan down slightly and quickly spoon the pan juices over the top of the fish a few times. Spoon the pan juices a few times again. Cook for 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness, until just tender and pink at the center (the internal temperature should be between 125 to 130 Fahrenheit in the center when removed). If the pieces are very thick, you can place them in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven to finish cooking. Remove from the heat.
  4. Prepare the toppings: Make the Dill Sauce. Toss the arugula with a bit of olive oil and a few pinches kosher salt. Thinly slice the red onion.
  5. Serve: To serve, place the cooked salmon on the buns. Top with arugula, red onion slices, feta cheese crumbles, and the dill sauce. Serve immediately.

Notes

*This is most important for salmon that is lower quality; it helps to reduce the white stuff that comes out when cooking fish (albumin).

  • Category: Salmon
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Seafood

Keywords: Salmon sandwich, salmon sandwich recipe

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.



from A Couple Cooks https://ift.tt/xzp3ciK
- August 29, 2022
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