Try this Broccoli Pasta Salad recipe, or contribute your own.
- pepper
- salt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1/4 cup good olive oil
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 4 cups broccoli florets (as few as 2 cups will work)
- 1 13.25 oz. (13.5g) box of rotini or penne (i used whole wheat
- 1 red bell pepper roughly chopped
- 1/2 small red onion roughly chopped
- 1 medium tomato chopped
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
- Carbohydrate 15.7574873336365 g
- Cholesterol 7.33333333333333 mg
- Fat 12.0924564583333 g
- Fiber 5.40491127250045 g
- Protein 8.01846718750227 g
- Saturated Fat 2.76120270833333 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (237g)
- Sodium 179.849555441854 mg
- Sugar 10.352576061136 g
- Trans Fat 0.892180625 g
- Calories 187 calories
Step-by-step
- pepper, salt, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 lemon juiced, 1/4 cup good olive oil, 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 4 cups broccoli florets (as few as 2 cups will work), 1 13.25 oz. (13.5g) box of rotini or penne (i used whole wheat, 1 red bell pepper roughly chopped, 1/2 small red onion roughly chopped, 1 medium tomato chopped, 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
Red wine vinegar does the heaviest lifting in this dish, cutting through the richness of the olive oil and parmesan while anchoring the raw vegetables. Without proper emulsification, however, the acid and oil separate instantly at the bottom of the mixing bowl, leaving the pasta dry at the top. Vigorously whisk the red wine vinegar, olive oil, honey, and lemon juice together in a large bowl before adding any solids to create a stable suspension.
The critical failure point in any cold pasta dish is temperature control. Draining the rotini or penne and tossing it immediately into the dressing while it remains hot causes the starch molecules to absorb the liquid unevenly, resulting in a bloated, soggy texture. Rinse the cooked pasta under cold running water for 45 seconds to stop internal cooking and wash away excess surface starch. Drain the pasta in a colander for at least five minutes, shaking it periodically to remove trapped water pockets that would otherwise dilute the dressing.
Raw broccoli florets require specific mechanical treatment to soften without losing their crunch. Chop the florets into bite-sized pieces no larger than one inch so they integrate cleanly with the corkscrew shapes of the pasta. If scaling the yield down by half, reduce the red onion to a quarter of a small onion to prevent its sharp sulfur compounds from dominating the milder sweetness of the red bell pepper and tomato.
