Submitted by Heather
If you're looking for a delicious pasta salad to stand out from the usual fare at potlucks and picnics, this is a great choice. I mean, just check out the title - you've got "spicy" and "smoked gouda", both of which are not usually part of any pasta salad I've ever had. Smoked Gouda is really a wonderful, smooth cheese. If you haven't had it, give it a try. They should have it at most major grocery stores (I got mine at Trader Joe's). I ran out of grape tomatoes, so I seeded and chopped up other tomatoes I had on hand and they worked just fine. I made this the night before I needed it and I did find that it was a bit dry the next day. So I made another batch of the dressing and tossed it on about a half an hour before serving. And I even added another teaspoon of adobo sauce (yum!), which made it perfect. So double or double and a half the dressing in the recipe and reserve some for tossing before serving.
Oh, and this makes a good main dish meal if you grill up a few chicken breasts, slice them up and lay them on top. I made this for a potluck at the pool where mostly adults ate it, so kids may not love its spiciness, but many of the adults went back for seconds. This one's a keeper for sure.
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 12 ounces, weight pasta (Mostaccioli, bowtie, rotini, etc.)
- ½ cups Mayonnaise
- ¼ cups Whole Milk
- 4 Tablespoons White Vinegar
- 1-½ teaspoon Adobo Sauce From Chipotle Peppers (or One Minced Chipotle Pepper)
- ½ teaspoons Salt
- Ground Black Pepper To Taste
- 10 ounces, weight Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
- ½ pounds Smoked Gouda Cheese, Cut Into Small Cubes
- 24 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)
Preparation Instructions
Cook pasta until done. Drain and rinse in cold water until no longer hot. Set aside.
Mix mayonnaise, milk, vinegar, salt, pepper, and adobo in a small bowl. (I found I needed to double the dressing ingredients, reserving half of it to toss with the pasta about a half an hour before serving).
In a large bowl, stir together pasta, dressing, halved tomatoes, and cubed Gouda. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if needed, and even an extra teaspoons or two of vinegar if necessary. Stir in basil at the end. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.
Source: adapted slightly from thepioneerwoman.com
Sounds good bean. I might give that a try! One thing I do to try and eliminate the dry pasta the next day is add some milk to the hot drained pasta and stir it around until it is absorbed. It helps but doesn't completely solve the problem. I find that if the pasta absorbs some of the milk right away, it doesn't absorb as much of the dressing later. Not fool proof though.
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