Best Warm Pasta Bean Salad Recipes

ITALIAN PASTA & BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to directions; drain.
• Rinse with cold water.
• Prepare vinaigrette while pasta is cooking.
• Stir all vinaigrette ingredients together in large bowl.
• To Roast Pepper Take 1 large red bell pepper, roast under broiler or on barbecue rotating frequently until skin is black.
• Place warm pepper in sealed zip lock bag for 5 minutes.
• Peel skin off pepper while it is still hot.
• Seed and chop pepper.
• Stir pasta, pepper, canned ingredients and onion into vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Chill and serve.
• Top with feta cheese if desired.
• Enjoy!

ZESTY SOUTHERN PASTA AND BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse pasta in cold water. Place in a large mixing bowl and add dressing and salt; mix well.
• Combine pinto beans and black beans in a colander; rinse with cold water and add to pasta. Add corn, tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, dried red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste; toss lightly.
• Chill salad in refrigerator until ready to serve.

WAX BEAN "PASTA" SALAD

Steps:

• For the spinach-basil pesto dressing: Place the basil, spinach, oil and lemon juice in a food processor or blender, then puree until smooth. Add the pine nuts and a salt, if using, and blend again until the mixture has the consistency of a dressing. Add more oil or lemon juice as needed for your desired consistency. Set aside.
• For the wax bean salad: Cut the beans into pasta-size pieces, about 1 1/2 inches long. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large skillet or saute pan and place over medium-high heat. Carefully add the wax beans to the hot skillet in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the skillet. Cook the beans until they've softened a little bit and charred where they've touched the pan, 3 to 5 minutes. Toss the beans with a wooden spoon and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. Place the cooked beans in a large serving bowl. Continue cooking, adding more oil as needed, until all the beans have been sauteed.
• Add half the pesto dressing, the cherry tomatoes and the shallot if using to the serving bowl and toss with the warm wax beans until combined. Add more pesto to taste and save the remainder of the dressing to serve on the side. Cover and refrigerate the salad and dressing for up to 2 days.

THREE-BEAN PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes less than package instructions. Add green beans and cook 3 minutes more. Drain and rinse with cold water.
• In a medium bowl, combine mustard, vinegar, honey, and oil. Add pasta mixture, pinto beans, chickpeas, scallions, and celery; toss gently. Season with salt and pepper.