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Pasta Salad with Currants, Olives & Pine Nuts

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Submitted by Pammie

Pasta salad with currants, olives, and pine nuts tossed in a curry-lemon-parsley vinaigrette. A make-ahead vegetarian penne salad with Mediterranean and Indian flavors in every bite.

YIELD

8 servings

PREP

15 min

COOK

30 min

READY

3 hrs

This is a pasta salad that breaks the ranch-and-mayo mold entirely. Cool, tangy, perfumed with curry and cumin, sweetened by dried currants, sharpened by kalamata olives. Different from the standard summer potluck entry, and better for it.

The dressing is the engine. Garlic gets pulverized to a paste with salt in the food processor, then a full cup of fresh parsley minces in. Lemon juice, red wine vinegar, a teaspoon of curry powder, sugar, ground cumin, and black pepper blend in. Finally olive oil streams through the feed tube slow and steady so the dressing emulsifies into a bright green vinaigrette that clings to every piece of pasta.

Penne tosses with the dressing hot off the rinse, then chopped red onion, sliced kalamata olives, dried currants, and toasted pine nuts fold in. Two hours in the fridge pulls everything into balance.

Kitchen Tips

  • Rinse the pasta under cold water and drain well. This stops the cook and prevents the pasta from absorbing all the dressing.
  • Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium, shaking constantly. They go from blonde to burnt in seconds.
  • Add the dressing to still-slightly-warm pasta. Warm pasta soaks in the vinaigrette more readily, so flavors penetrate instead of just coating.
  • Chill the full two hours as directed. This salad tastes flat and raw right after mixing; the rest is what builds flavor.

Variations

  • Nut swap: Sub toasted almonds or walnuts for the pine nuts for a different crunch profile.
  • Herb mix: Add chopped fresh mint or cilantro along with the parsley for a brighter, more Indian-leaning salad.
  • Add feta: Crumble ½ cup of feta over just before serving for a salty, creamy counterpoint.

Ingredients

1 453.6
POUND G PASTA, PENNE
1 1
CLOVES EACH GARLIC
quartered
1 5
TEASPOON ML SALT
1 237
CUP ML PARSLEY LEAVES
stemmed
¼ 59
CUP ML LEMON JUICE
¼ 59
1 5
TEASPOON ML CURRY POWDER
1 5
TEASPOON ML SUGAR
¾ 3.8
TEASPOON ML CUMIN
ground
½ 2.5
TEASPOON ML BLACK PEPPER
1 237
CUP ML OLIVE OIL
1 1
EACH RED ONION
peeled, finely chopped
1 237
CUP ML KALAMATA OLIVES
sliced *
158
CUP ML CURRANT
dried
158
CUP ML PINE NUTS
toasted

Directions

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.

Drain. Rinse under cold water; drain well.

Transfer pasta to large bowl.

Meanwhile, blend garlic and salt to paste in processor, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally.

Add 1 cup parsley and mince.

Blend in lemon juice, vinegar, curry, sugar, cumin and pepper.

With machine running, gradually add oil through feed tube in thin steady stream.

Pour dressing over pasta.

Add onion, olives, currants and pine nuts to pasta and toss.

Season with pepper. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 171g (6.0 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 554 58% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 36g 55%
Saturated Fat 4g 22%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 308mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 17g 17%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sugars g
Protein 20g
Vitamin A 13% Vitamin C 55%
Calcium 4% Iron 20%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Low Cholesterol, Cholesterol-Free, Trans-fat Free, Good source of fiber
 

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