Orecchiette had been hanging out in my pantry for far too long. The ear-shaped pasta whispered "cook me" many times. Thoughts of it tossed with sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, and rapini cascaded through my mind. The all too familiar preparation did not lead to excitement. It continued to sit in the corner. A recipe search lead to the inspiration to finally get it cooked. Roast beef pasta salad quieted the whispers and delighted my orecchiette loving heart.
Salads make for a quick and easy meal. The only cooking involved for this one is for the pasta. Once it is done and drained, a quick toss puts it all together. Your weekday supper is on the table in 30 minutes or less. Tender roast beef, smooth mozzarella, tangy artichoke hearts, peppery arugula, and al dente pasta are tossed with a lemony dressing. Grape tomatoes burst when you bite into them and basil brings in summer freshness.
Use other pasta if orecchiette is not available. Sea shells, farfalle (bow ties), and rigatoni are good alternatives. Bocconcini is small mozzarella balls. If you cannot find it, use fresh mozzarella and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
How often do you make salads for dinner? Does it depend on the season? I make them often. Some of my favorites are tuna salad nicoise, shrimp salad, spinach salad with warm bacon dressing, and Greek salad.
Please take a look at the other wonderful Weekday Supper recipes for this week:
- Monday - Juanita's Cocina - Cilantro Pesto Pasta with Shrimp
- Wednesday - Foxes Loves Lemons - Homemade Grilled Pizza
- Thursday - Sue's Nutrition Buzz - Mediterranean Salmon Salad with Red Potatoes
- Friday - Growing Up Gabel - Chinese Chicken Salad
Looking for more Weekday Supper inspiration? Follow the #WeekdaySupper hashtag on twitter for quick and easy recipes we share throughout the week, every week of the year! Share yours too, just remember to tweet them with the hashtag.
Roast Beef Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces orecchiette or other pasta dry weight
- 6 ounces bocconcini cut in half*
- 1 cup quartered marinated artichoke hearts drained
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Zest from ½ lemon about 1 teaspoon
- 3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 to 4 cups baby arugula
- 6 ounces deli-sliced roast beef cut into strips
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain.
- Add the bocconcini, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, lemon zest, and lemon juice to a large bowl. Stir or toss gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the cooked pasta, arugula, and roast beef to the bowl. Stir or toss gently to combine. Adjust seasoning if needed with additional salt and pepper.
Notes
Recipe adapted from one on the Food Network website.
This sounds like a nice change from chicken and I have some basil I need to use up too! Thanks, Renee!
I'm growing four types of basil and I am always looking for recipes to use it. It's such a wonderful herb.
This is the perfect salad to eat this summer, Renee! I love bocconcini salads and adding roast beef on top makes it even better.
Serious kudos to whoever came up with bocconcini. What perfect size for mozzarella.
Roast beef is one of my favorite meats to braise or eat cold. What a wonderful pasta salad Renee! Any salad with arugula is a winner for me.
I plan to make this salad again with the leftovers from a roast I make at home. I think it would even be better.
I love pasta salad, especially when it looks colorful like yours. Definitely filled with tons of love!
I especially like the pop of red from the tomatoes. It's such fun to make and create salads.
I'm loving all the ingredients here, Renee! I should really have more salads like this. Thanks for sharing such a lovely mid-week meal!
Thanks Lyn!
Excellent recipe Renee. Smart and fast to recreate, I just wished you would have shared it much earlier with us. What else are you hiding from us? 😉
Oh Helene, you will just have to wait and see! And I say often - Stay Tuned!
We were on a good track and were making salads twice a week for dinner. Then we slacked off 🙁 I've got some Orecchiette in the pantry though so it looks like I'll be making this soon.
I usually make salad for dinner at least one night a week. This one was a hit with my husband with the roast beef. It was a nice change from chicken.
This looks so good ! Never made a roast beef salad at home before. This is a great one to try !! Love that you used artichoke !
Thanks Sue! The artichoke hearts is one of my favorite ingredients in this salad.
Your orecchiette looks pretty happy to be finally out of the cupboard and into a salad 🙂 I pretty much always have handfuls of random pasta shapes around, and never know what to do with them. What do you do with just a few ounces of a weird shape? Well, now I can just make a salad like this!
Oh I love pasta salad! Artichoke hearts are one of my faves and this looks amazing. Alex and I will have to try it soon!
Thanks Isabel!
i can say that it look's so natural and healthy, a combination of beef and pasta that give's you a unic taste and aroma of pure pleasure of delicious salad 🙂