Pasta Salad With Balsamic and Caramelized Onion Vinaigrette
By: Scott Koeneman
Published: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 - 5:25am

Ingredients




Pasta salad:

16 ounces whole wheat Rotini
2 mediums bunches fresh broccoli, stems and florets, chopped
1 bunch fresh asparagus, woody ends removed, chopped
3 mediums carrots, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
6 ounces swiss cheese, cubed
1 bunch green onions (about 8 stalks), chopped
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Balsamic and Caramelized Onion Vinaigrette

3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 medium sweet onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
salt and pepper

Balsamic Vinegar

Preparation

1 For the pasta salad: 2 Prepare pasta according to package directions until al dante. You want it firm, not mushy. 3 Meanwhile, steam broccoli, asparagus and carrots until just tender. Keep them from over cooking by placing them in ice water and then draining. 4 When the pasta is done, rinse under cold water and drain well. 5 In a large bowl, combine pasta, veggies, vinaigrette, oregano, basil, parsley, and Swiss cheese. Stir until well combined. Serve individual plates topped with green onion and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. 6 For the vinaigrette: 7 Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. When the oil just begins to smoke, add onions and saute until browned. 8 In a food processor, combine onions, Balsamic, remaining oil, mustard, mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste and puree.