I believe that using pure canned pumpkin will yield the greatest results, just like in almost every other pumpkin dish, as it has a more concentrated flavor than freshly roasted pumpkin. I modified a recipe from my old friend Jennifer Perillo to create these delicate, mildly sweet Italian doughnuts. When they’re still a little warm, I normally sprinkle these with cinnamon sugar.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 30 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 ½ cups chopped fresh basil
- ½ cup chopped fresh oregano
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™)
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 (4 ounce) package grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
- 6 green onions, chopped
- 1 (4 ounce) can minced black olives
- 1 (16 ounce) package farfalle (bow tie) pasta
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, pepper, onion powder, mustard, garlic, basil, oregano, cilantro, hot pepper sauce, red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese. Add the tomatoes, green onions and olives to the bowl, and stir to coat. Refrigerate.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook for 7 minutes, or until tender. Drain, and rinse with cold water to cool. Add pasta to the bowl of dressing, and mix well. Top with mozzarella cheese and pine nuts. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 506 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 51 g |
| Cholesterol | 20 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Protein | 19 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Sodium | 731 mg |
| Sugars | 6 g |
| Fat | 27 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Made it, but I couldn’t justify the cost of pine nuts. It was still delicious! I made it with gluten free pasta, just an fyi, so that I could bring it to a gathering where the host was gluten intolerant. Just a thought if you are sharing!
Amazing recipe!!!!! It was a hit in the house for all of us!!! What a rarity!!! Totally fresh and full of flavor. Highly recommended.
Yes
I followed the recipe to a “T”, and (sorry to say), was disappointed. It was very bland.
Came up with a great way to reduce the time-consuming task of chopping all those herbs — food processor. It’s supposed to be pesto, so make it pesto. The most time-consuming part of this is now just getting all the dressing ingredients together. So delicious!
Fantastic! Fresh herbs a must. Although I did use dried oregano
This was pretty good. I threw everything in the food processor to make the dressing. I used green olives because I didn’t have black….didn’t meld as well with the salad. Feta might also go well with it. A nice summer meal.
Good pesto pasta salad. The dressing was overwhelming for my taste. I prefer a lighter dressing and artichoke hearts(which I added). Otherwise it was a good salad to prepare for the Fourth of July 🙂
This wasn’t bad but it wasn’t the way that everyone makes it in my area.
I have never reviewed a recipe before, but I HAVE to review this one. I made this tonight because I want to serve it tomorrow. I tasted it before it even marinated and I am in love!! It was so delicious and I can’t wait to serve and eat it tomorrow! I know it will be a huge hit!! Also, I am a vegetarian, so I love that it has no meat!! 🙂
. i used balsamic vinegar instead. Next time i will add feta instead of the mozz. and bits of salami, green olives
Loved this recipe. Will make again and again. I used Frank’s Red Hot instead of Tabasco. It gave it some heat, which I loved! It was eaten up quickly, by the group I made it for and lots of compliments!
This is an awesome recipe, one of my all time faves! The only change I make is to leave out the hot sauce. Also, make sure you let it marinate over night.
Wonderful light, clean, refreshing anytime salad. Used herbs from my own herb garden. I totally agree with other reviewers, way better the next day!
this is delicious. i only use 12 the oil. i had the original version at a party but i only had balsamic vinegar and it was just as good. next time i’m going to try it with feta>
Very yummy! I added cooked chicken breast and some pancetta to make it a main meal. I mixed the first 14 ingredients in a food processor so I wouldn’t have to chop anything up. I added 1/4 c of the pine nuts into the processor as well. I also used fresh mozzarella as was suggested. So good! I made the mistake of not letting it sit for at least an hour and the flavors were so overpowering. Our taste buds were maxed out for the rest of the evening. The next day the flavors were just right and delicious. Try heating it up in the microwave for 30-45 seconds to soften the cheese slightly. Delicious!!!
This is amazing. Be sure to let it sit overnight in a refrigerator so the flavors can mingle properly!
Super easy and really yummy. Got better the longer we let it sit.
Made this for a baby shower last weekend and it was to die for. Substituted sun dried tomatoes for the roma and added chopped rotisserie chicken to make it a main dish. Absolutely fantastic. I cannot wait to make this again. The best pasta salad I have ever had.
This is one of our favorite salads. I toast the pine nuts and sometimes vary the ratio of herbs, but otherwise it’s perfect as is.
I used my own homemade pesto sauce instead of adding basil, pine nuts, etc. I brought it to a pot luck and every last bowtie vanished. Definitely a keeper!