Fireworks Pasta Salad

I’m back! Did you miss me? Well, there really was no need to miss me, since my little home on the web was in such good hands. I hope you enjoyed the beautiful guest posts from The Cilantropist and Joylicious. It was an honor for me to grace Kitchen Confidante with their stunning images and delicious recipes; I can not wait to cook them soon! I also can’t wait to share more about my much needed vacation to Maui — stay tuned for that, as well.

Are you all ready for the Fourth of July festivities? Perhaps you will be heading out of town, or maybe you will be staying close to home — either way, you can’t have a July 4th celebration without fireworks and salads, so I have for you today a crunchy & spicy pasta salad that will add some pop to your table. Not only is it dressed with a spicy update to the familiar macaroni salad dressing, it also features crunchy red onions, scallions, and even spicy dill pickles.

A friend of ours recently launched Let’s Get Pickled, specializing in boldly flavored pickles sourced from local Bay Area ingredients. When we recently sampled some of his offerings, I was so impressed by the complex flavors behind the perfectly pickled vegetables. Some of their specialties include Gilroy garlic pickled in aged balsamic vinegars, stuffed eggplant pickled in champagne wine vinegar, and marinated mixed vegetables in brine. I decided to use the Spicy Dill Pickle in champagne wine vinegar with garlic, onions, and herbs in this salad. The subtle but wonderfully noticeable heat from the pickles added a lovely kick to the salad.

What I love most about this salad is that you can make a huge batch in advance of your parties, and the flavors improve over time. And it goes so well with all the favorite barbecue and picnic fare! I hope you get a chance to try it – have a safe and Happy Fourth!

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Fireworks Pasta Salad

Serves 8-10.

Adapted from Modern Macaroni Salad, Bon Appétit, July 1999 via Epicurious. This version adds even more kick to the already updated classic. Make it the night before a gathering and let the flavors really come together for a spicy twist on macaroni salad.

16 ounces tubetti pasta
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
juice of half lime
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/3 cups chopped drained spicy dill pickles
1 1/4 cups chopped celery
1/2 cup minced red onion (or 2 shallots, minced)
1 12-ounce jars roasted peppers, drained and sliced
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
handful cilantro, chopped
salt & pepper to taste

Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water, according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, lime juice, sugar, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Stir in the tubetti pasta, pickles, celery, red onion, roasted peppers, green onions, and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

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by Liren on July 1, 2011

25 Comments

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Liz — July 1, 2011 @ 3:21 pm (#
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What a delightfully delicious pasta salad! I’d love a couple servings or more this weekend :)
Maureen — July 1, 2011 @ 4:56 pm (#
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I could be happy with just this on my plate. Looks tasty!
kristy — July 1, 2011 @ 7:44 pm (#
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What a delicious pasta salad. Looks really mouthwatering. Thanks for sharing.
Kristy
Monet — July 1, 2011 @ 8:37 pm (#
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I’m always looking for recipes that can feed a crowd. This looks so good! Thank you for sharing yet another tasty meal. This was a lovely way to end my week. I hope you have a beautiful weekend and a happy 4th of July!
Xai — July 1, 2011 @ 8:39 pm (#
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whenever somebody brings macaroni salad, i always compare it to the one my grandma used to make. i haven’t had it in forever but it’s taste is quite distinct. i guess it’s more nostalgia than anything else, but this one looks like it could challenge what my grandma used to make, sans the memories. i am very excited to try this out :) happy fourth!!!
Hester aka The Chef Doc — July 1, 2011 @ 11:58 pm (#
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Aww, the tubetti is really cute pasta! And this salad is absolutely fantastic! I love all the flavors; it just feels like summer to me :-)
Sasha @ The Procrastobaker — July 2, 2011 @ 3:31 am (#
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ooo ive been looking for some more good pasta salad recipes lately and this fits the bill perfectly! something a little different to the plain old mayo-mix too, will hopefully get to try it out very soon :)
mutfak gazetesi — July 2, 2011 @ 5:21 am (#
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makarna salatas?n? ben de çok severim çok güzel olmu?. mutlaka deneyece?im.
Nelly Rodriguez — July 2, 2011 @ 6:40 am (#
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I’d seriously have this for breakfast right now if I could. Looks delicious!
Kate @ Kate from Scratch — July 2, 2011 @ 7:06 am (#
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Looks delicious! Hope you have a wonderful, safe and happy fourth! Enjoy!
Priscilla - She's Cookin' — July 2, 2011 @ 10:31 am (#
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Yes, we missed you and can’t wait to see more stunning photos from Mauai! I’ve been wondering if I could pickle zucchini, since my garden is producing them en masse. A cool and creamy pasta salad is delicious with all the grilled fare happening this weekend. Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend, Liren!
rebecca — July 2, 2011 @ 3:23 pm (#
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fun salad and love the name of it
The Farmers Wife — July 2, 2011 @ 6:06 pm (#
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Oooo… Yummy! I love pasta salad and am always looking for new recipes to try! Love this!
denise @ quickies on the dinner table — July 3, 2011 @ 1:18 am (#
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Hi Liren :) Thanks for visiting! I must be notorious around the web now, for my numerous disappearing acts LOL I have been juggling a couple of projects and have had time for little else, so my short break in Tokyo was a heavenly respite from my recent hectic routine.

Well, what can I say about this gorgeous cracker of a salad? Summer perfection and what a flavour profile :o LOVE IT!!!!
Brian @ A Thought For Food — July 3, 2011 @ 5:02 am (#
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This is some pasta salad, Liren! Yowza! Love the heat that’s in here. I could see this being wildly addictive… something you can’t resist taking thirds or fourths of.
Joy — July 3, 2011 @ 6:55 am (#
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I absolutely love the colors of your salad, indeed it would start up fireworks in any household :)
Angela@RecipesFromMyMom — July 3, 2011 @ 4:53 pm (#
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The eaters in my house love pasta salad with a vinaigrette dressing so I never get to make the mayo kind. You recipe reminds me so much of picnics and summer holidays from my childhood. I would always look forward to setting a scoop of it when we attended family events.
Ann — July 3, 2011 @ 7:56 pm (#
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What a clever salad! I love the idea of spicy pickles and roasted red peppers! It’s a winner! Congratulations on making Food Buzz Top 9!
cerina — July 4, 2011 @ 4:24 pm (#
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I just made this! Thank you so much for the recipe :D
- Liren replied: — July 6th, 2011 @ 12:34 am
  
  Hi Cerina – I’m so glad! Thanks for dropping by to let me know, I really hope you enjoyed it!
Stephanie — July 5, 2011 @ 1:13 pm (#
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This pasta salad looks so, so good. My mouth is literally watering, and I wish I had a spoon that could jump through my computer screen. Can’t wait to try it!
Susan — July 6, 2011 @ 5:39 am (#
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Yum! That looks amazing! I cannot tell you how much I love pasta salad, its my favorite part of summer. Can’t wait to try this!
Kita — July 10, 2011 @ 6:02 am (#
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I wasnt a huge fan of cold noodles until recently (I know, Im a weirdo). I’m just learning to dig pasta salads but I love the ingredients in this one. It would knock the socks of my familys mayo and noodle salads!
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