Your preferred recipe for tuna and chicken salad OR a very unique method to serve pasta salad! An impressive finger food idea that will wow your guests at barbecues, picnics, and baby showers! I presented this on a bed of lettuce with green and black olives for decoration.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 30 mins |
| Servings: | 9 |
| Yield: | 9 servings |
Ingredients
- 18 jumbo pasta shells
- ½ pound thinly sliced salami
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup chopped roma tomatoes
- ¾ cup seeded and chopped cucumber
- ¾ cup chopped red onion
- ½ cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta shells in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until chilled.
- Combine salami, romaine lettuce, roma tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion in a large bowl; pour balsamic vinaigrette dressing over salad and toss to coat. Stuff pasta shells with lettuce mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- I do not recommend making this the day before as the lettuce will wilt. But you can chop everything up the night before, keeping the lettuce separate. I also found that the shells were easier to stuff when they were cold.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 312 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 31 g |
| Cholesterol | 32 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 14 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Sodium | 819 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 15 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Fantastic recipe ! And no cooking involved. Perfect for a hot day . I will be saving for sure .
After reading comments that others posted, I was fearful that this would disappoint. I did take some of the comments into account and tried a few minor modifications. When cooking the shells, I added garlic salt and Italian seasoning. This did not really add any flavor to the shells. I added small chunks of mozzarella cheese and diced yellow and red peppers to the filling. Everyone loved them. There were zero complaints and many requests to make these again. In the future, I will experiment with filling ingredients. This recipe calls for creativity.
Thank you for a unique and sensational way to present a salad! I made this (with some changes) and took it to a Farewell luncheon for our Priest. People knocked each other down to get at it – ok, I exaggerate, but it was truly a HIT! I substituted my own antipasto recipe for the stuffing – WOW! Wish I had taken a photo, but they were on it before it even got out to the buffet table! I would give it a 5 rating except that I used my own salad recipe and it is a pain in the neck to stuff the shells, but so worth it. Thanks for a tremendous idea and recipe!
I used cherry tomatoes, no cucumber, added broccoli …it was a huge hit at thanks giving!
Have made this two times now for get togethers. Different people at each party. Both times shells just left the tray, all gone each time. My shells did not dry out as I placed some pasta water, like misting them, in the plastic ziplock bag. Don’t know how the shells can dry out in that?? I will make this again and try some chopped shrimp to go in them. This is a very versatile recipe.
Nice way to serve a salad as an appetizer. I skipped the romaine and the meat and added sweet yellow pepper as a vegetarian option, along with a bit more cucumber and tomatoe You will want to dice everything small enough to to fit nicely in the pasta shell.
What a clever idea. This works with any salad as long as you cut the ingredients fairly small. It works especially well for a buffet for a crowd – it doesn’t slow the line down. I stuffed the shells with Seafood Pea-Asta Salad from this site and it was successful at a large group gathering.
Such a great idea Micki..You are so clever ! I made it a couple times , once pretty much like yours and last night I decided to try something totally different and used quinoa, diced long English cuks, tomatoes, celery, red onion, red bell peppers, black olives, Then I used a little bottled Greek salad dressing, mixed, stuffed and sprinkled lots of feta on top…All I can say is they were delicious! The sky is the limit…you can do anything with them. Thank again !
Love the concept. And love all the suggestions for different fillings. But after chilling the pasta shells and filling them, they were dry. Trying to figure out how to resolve, they needed salad dressing or something on the outside but that would make them greasy and hard to hold. So I’ll continue thinking about this because, as I said, I love the concept.
Used this recipe for a baby shower and it was a huge hit! Stuffing the shells after chilling them definitely is the way to go and be careful not to tear the shells when cooking them! We also tried a variation using crab meat in place of salami and was very disappointed.
Five stars for this being a FANTASTIC presentation idea!!! But for the actual stuffing recipe….. blah. Made it but didn’t care for it, so made my own pasta salad my way. Chunks, (not slices) of salami, ham & pepperoni, chunks of swiss & a yellow cheddar cheese, diced roma tomatoes (pat dry with paper towels), diced English cucumbers (keep skin on), black olives, and diced red onion. Marinate it all in Zesty Italian dressing overnight. Stuff shells before serving. As for the romaine lettuce; garnish the platter with it ….. that way guests can grab a piece themselves IF they want it! Sliced pepperoncini’s are a nice addition too for some zing, using some of the juice added to marinade! Ultimately… I would suggest using “YOUR” favorite salad recipe, whether it be egg salad, ham salad, tangy broccoli cheese salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, crab or seafood salad, antipasto, etc. Just remember to add some “crunchies” in the stuffing, such as the cukes and onion; or try celery, diced carrots, water chestnuts, radishes or red and/or green peppers, broccoli and/or cauliflower. Kidney beans or black beans sound like a great addition, too! Next time for a pot luck I am doing a combination of a few different varieties for guests to choose from! 🙂 Thank You Micki, you are so creative!!! Tip: Cook shells al dente and rinse in cold water, then leave out to fully dry, before stuffing. Makes it a easy & clean job!!!
made my own chopped salad and stuffed the shells while they were cold. it was a fun way to serve salad! thanks for the post Micki!
Excellent for a potluck! I sub’d ~1/2 C sweet orange peppers for the salami, and used the “Absolutely Fabulous Greek House Dressing” on this site blended with 1/2 C cream cheese to make the dressing less runny. I stirred the Parmesan into the salad to make it ‘neater’ to handle. I did need to add 1 more minute of boiling to my shells – they were raw tasting at 8 minutes, but the measurements fill exactly 18 shells. Fun, easy & tidy – perfect for me. Thx for sharing!
These were really good and super cute on an egg plate. I needed these to be creamy to fit with our dinner so I used a mix of what I had on hand: light red kidney beans, cucumber, green onions, black olives, and the romaine and used a homemade ranch as our dressing and topped with a bit of shredded cheese. We loved these and I love the fact that you can make them to suit what dinner your having. Such a clever idea thanks for sharing!
Very original way to serve pasta salad. Family thought it was a bit bland.
I decided to make these last night. I used finely chopped tomato, black olives and spinach with zesty Italian dressing. Stuffed the shells and placed 3 on a bed of lettuce. Looked great and tasted the same. But next time I will also add broccoli and cauliflower.
Did not have all the listed ingredients – just made a big tossed chop salad with romaine lettuce, cukes, tomatoes, red onion, shredded carrot, a little shredded parmesan cheese toasted almonds and croutons. Tossed half with italian dressing and half with Catalina (red) dressing. Drizzled more dressing on top and sprinkled with more cheese. Took them to a pot luck – total hit. Next time I am in a hurry for a pot luck dish, I think I might just buy deli salad and stuff with that – tried a few at home with the broccoli salad – was tasty!
I will give this recipe for stars because it’s a great idea, but the salad recipe here is just so-so. I would like to experiment with other filling options; the sky’s the limit for the potential here! Def a fun party idea to serve appetizers!! Thanks.
I used half Salami and half Ham. Also used italian Salad dressing(good Seasons)with olive oil and balsamic Vinegar. Did use Romaine, you need the crunch and did put a thin slice Swiss cheese (looked like a toothpick) on top. NO Parmesan. Cooked the shells the day before and finished it up just before the party, I made 24 peaces, but could have had 48 shells. They where gone within 10 minutes. Friends came back for seconds and thirds. What a hit!!!1 EVERYONE LOVED THE SHELLS. GREAT RECEPICE, I served it on a deviled egg tray. Ingrid
We enjoyed this with a Father’s Day barbecue at our home yesterday. It was a favorite of several of our friends and I would make it again. Such a terrific way to serve a simple side salad.
I made this for a gathering, and it was a hit! I used 1/2 of a grape tomato on top , which made for a lovely presentation.