The Freshman Cook: pasta salad

Welcome to #CookoutWeek!

This is the beginning of a fun week full of recipes for cookouts and summer meals. Read all about it below, and don't forget to enter the giveaway! It is huge! Good Luck!

But first, I want to share with you a salad I love to make and enjoy in the summer when it is hot. This salad is cool and refreshing and it is a great dish for serving a group of family and friends!
I call this dish Southwestern "Cactus Needle" Pasta Salad, not because I used cactus needles, of course, but because I made this salad with little tiny pieces of pasta called "Fideo", and they remind me of cactus needles. This pasta salad also includes little chunks of Chayote, which is a mexican squash, veggies such as tomatoes, onions, and roasted corn, and a homemade dressing that brings all these flavors together perfectly! This salad goes well with any entree, from a delicious steak to a tasty grilled hot dog!

Southwestern Cactus Needle Pasta Salad
(printable recipe at end of page)

3 1/2 ounces Fideo Pasta (1/2 of a bag)
1 medium sized Chayote
1 red and 1 orange Mini Pepper
1 large Green Onion
1/2 cup Roasted Corn
15 Cherry Tomatoes
1/3 cup cooked Black Beans
1 Avocado
5 ounces Queso Fresco

Dressing
2 tablespoon Mayonnaise
2 tablespoon Sour Cream
1/4 cup Minced Garlic
pinch of Chipotle Chili Powder
1/4 Lime

Boil the pasta according to package directions. It should boil for approx. 7 minutes. Let cool completely.

This is what a Chayote looks like. This one is rather large, and a smaller one would be acceptable for this recipe. Place the Chayote in a pan covered with water. Turn heat to medium high. If it boils, that is fine. A Chayote this large takes about 20-25 minutes to soften. A smaller one will take less. Check for tenderness every 5-10 minutes. Once it is tender, remove from heat and use a peeler to remove the outer skin. It should come off easily. Set aside to cool.

While the Chayote is cooking and cooling, chop the peppers.

Chop the onion, and slice tomatoes in half.

Roast the corn. It is easy to pan roast corn. Melt butter in a frying pan, with the heat on medium high. Add the corn. Let it sit for a minute, then swirl the pan around covering the corn with butter. Let corn cook for a few minutes, then turn corn over as it begins to brown. Remove from heat when you are happy with the color.

Make dressing by mixing together the mayo and sour cream. Add in the minced garlic. I buy mine from Target, already minced, in a jar. It is amazing! Add in the chipotle powder. Whisk together. Add the juice from the lime. When I need to add fresh juice, I use a garlic press. I have arthritis, and I can't press on the fruit anymore to get all the juice. The garlic press works so well. I roll the fruit to make it tender, then I cut the fruit to fit the press, and do it several times with more fruit if needed. So easy! Whisk everything together and refrigerate.

Now that the Chayote is cooled, remove the seed from the middle, and throw away.

Slice the Chayote and the chop into bite size pieces.

Start putting everything together by filling the bowl with the pasta, vegetables, beans, and the chopped Chayote. Hold back the avocado and cheese, and mix in the dressing.

When you are ready to serve, add the avocado and crumble the cheese over the salad.

Enjoy the salad!

Thank you for stopping by today! Keep scrolling down the page for a copy of my recipe and read about all the other recipes and the giveaway.! Don't forget to enter!

#CookoutWeek 2018 is here! During the next week, I am joining over 50 of my blogger friends to celebrate summer by posting delicious cookout-themed recipes. If you love grilling, frozen treats, picnics, berries, s'mores, campfire meals, and other summer goodies... you are in the right place!

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Char-Broil Classic 280 2-Burner Liquid Propane Gas Grill from blog hosts The PinterTest Kitchen. This grill has 280 square inches of cooking space over porcelain-coated grates and two 12-inch side shelves for extra prep space.

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An InLinkz Link-up

The PinterTest Kitchen ♥

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A Day in the Life on the Farm ♥

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Bottom Left of the Mitten ♥

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Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice ♥

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Fix Me a Little Lunch ♥

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Moore or Less Cooking ♥

Our Good Life ♥

Oven Tales By Syama ♥

Palatable Pastime ♥

Sarah Cooks the Books ♥

Savory Moments ♥

Seduction In The Kitchen ♥

Strawberry Blondie Kitchen ♥

Sweet Coralice ♥

Tampa Cake Girl ♥

Technotini ♥

That Recipe ♥

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The Beard and The Baker ♥

The Freshman Cook ♥

The Simple Supper ♥

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This is How I Cook ♥

Who Needs A Cape? ♥

Wildflour's Cottage Kitchen ♥

Comment below with your favorite cookout recipe!

Yield: 8-10Author: The Freshman Cook

Southwestern "Cactus Needle" Pasta Salad

ingredients:

3 1/2 ounces Fideo Pasta (1/2 of a bag)

1 medium sized Chayote

1 red and 1 orange Mini Pepper

1 large Green Onion

1/2 cup Roasted Corn

15 Cherry Tomatoes

1/3 cup cooked Black Beans

1 Avocado

5 ounces Queso Fresco

Dressing

2 tablespoon Mayonnaise

2 tablespoon Sour Cream

1/4 cup Minced Garlic

pinch of Chipotle Chili Powder

1/4 Lime

instructions:

Boil the pasta according to package directions. It should boil for approx. 7 minutes. Let cool completely.
This is what a Chayote looks like. This one is rather large, and a smaller one would be acceptable for this recipe. Place the Chayote in a pan covered with water. Turn heat to medium high. If it boils, that is fine. A Chayote this large takes about 20-25 minutes to soften. A smaller one will take less. Check for tenderness every 5-10 minutes. Once it is tender, remove from heat and use a peeler to remove the outer skin. It should come off easily. Set aside to cool.
While the Chayote is cooking and cooling, chop the peppers.
Chop the onion, and slice tomatoes in half.
Roast the corn. It is easy to pan roast corn. Melt butter in a frying pan, with the heat on medium high. Add the corn. Let it sit for a minute, then swirl the pan around covering the corn with butter. Let corn cook for a few minutes, then turn corn over as it begins to brown. Remove from heat when you are happy with the color.
Make dressing by mixing together the mayo and sour cream. Add in the minced garlic. I buy mine from Target, already minced, in a jar. It is amazing! Add in the chipotle powder. Whisk together. Add the juice from the lime. When I need to add fresh juice, I use a garlic press. I have arthritis, and I can't press on the fruit anymore to get all the juice. The garlic press works so well. I roll the fruit to make it tender, then I cut the fruit to fit the press, and do it several times with more fruit if needed. So easy! Whisk everything together and refrigerate.
Now that the Chayote is cooled, remove the seed from the middle, and throw away.
Slice the Chayote and the chop into bite size pieces.
Start putting everything together by filling the bowl with the pasta, vegetables, beans, and the chopped Chayote. Hold back the avocado and cheese, and mix in the dressing.
When you are ready to serve, add the avocado and crumble the cheese over the salad.
Enjoy the salad!

Created using The Recipes Generator

This weeks salad is so refreshing and cool tasting. I don't know if that is a thing, but it does taste cool, like a breeze! You are going to love it.!!