Sunday, April 17, 2016

Mexican Pasta Salad


I had an abundance of cilantro left over from a few recipes (quesadilla pie being one of them) that I didn't want to go to waste.  That led me me make cilantro pesto. Which then led to a need to put said pesto to use. Which then brings us to the creation of a pasta salad the likes of which you have never before experienced!


Mexican Pasta Salad

Ingredients

for the pesto:
2 cups cilantro
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp sesame oil (you can just add more olive oil)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper

for the chipotle cream: (totally optional, but I was using it for another recipe that week)
2 chipotle peppers
1 cup sour cream

for the pasta salad
1 lb pasta, your choice
1 cup corn
1 cup cheddar, grated
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1 cup lettuce, shredded
1 cup olives, sliced


1. Set a large pot of water to boil on the stove. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Place pesto ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Place pesto in a bowl until pasta is ready.  Don't bother cleaning out the blender to make the chipotle cream.  Blend peppers and sour cream until smooth.
3. In a large bowl, or the drained pasta pot, mix pasta, pesto, and about a tablespoon of chipotle cream (save the rest of taco night). Stir in remaining pasta salad ingredients.


This is a totally customize-able recipe.  Want meat in there? Perhaps, some shredded chicken? Go for it.  A fan of beans? By all means bean it up! Throw in a dash of salsa. Toss in an avocado.  Get nuts!

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