Summer Pasta Salad

Plate o' yum

Recipe by Farmers’ Chef Stacy Murphy

Summer Pasta Salad

Ingredients

  • Bunch of beets and their greens

  • Head of cauliflower or broccoli, broken down to little florets

  • Summer squash and zucchini, diced

  • Bunch of green onion, sliced, green tops separated from white and pale green bottoms

  • Kale, cleaned and chopped into bite-size pieces

  • 1 pound pasta

  • 8 ounces grated hard cheese or crumbled goat cheese

  • Additional olive oil and salt to finish

For Dressing:

  • ¾ bunch of basil, torn

  • 2 garlic cloves, macerated

  • 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 2 teaspoons paprika

  • ½ cup cider vinegar

  • 1 cup olive oil

  • Salt to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°. Remove greens from beet roots, and wrap the beet roots in foil. Roast for 30 minutes or until soft enough to pierce with a fork. While beets are roasting, clean beet greens and set aside. When beets are done, remove their skins while still warm. Cut in half and thinly slice. Leave oven on.

Toss broccoli or cauliflower florets with olive oil and salt. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes at 400°.

When they're done repeat with zucchini and onion bottoms, tossed together with olive oil. Depending on the size of your baking sheet you may be able to do all at once, as long as you don’t crowd the vegetables.

Make the dressing: In a small bowl, stir together basil, garlic, onion tops, mustard, garlic powder, paprika, vinegar, olive oil, and a tablespoon salt. Mix until well combined.

Fill a large pot with heavily salted water and set on stove over high heat. When water comes to a boil, add the kale and pasta. Cook for length of time specified on pasta package. When you have 4 more minutes to go, toss in the beet greens. When pasta is done, strain contents of pot. Rinse briefly to stop the cooking, but keep the pasta warm so that it will soak up the dressing better.

Mix everything together in a large bowl and check for seasoning. Let it sit for a bit, and check seasoning again before serving, as the pasta soaks up the salt. Serve at room temperature. 

RecipesCarly Demler