Dean cooks Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad with Prosciutto

WGN Entertainment Reporter Dean Richards shares his recipe for Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad with Prosciutto.

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 1 pound pasta  (I recommend farfalle or cavatelli;  something twisted to absorb the dressing)
• 1 cup chopped prosciutto
• 1 grilled green bell pepper
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, no cooked,  halved
• 1 onion,  rough cut  (I recommend sweet Vidalia onion)
• 1 pound grilled asparagus 
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives halved
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
• ¼ cup toasted pine nuts (carefully, quickly toast the nuts in olive oil or butter until they “just” begin to turn brown.   Remove from heat so they don’t burn. 
• 3/4 cup small mozzarella balls halved
• 1 1/4 cups homemade (recipe below)  or store bought Italian dressing.
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese  
• salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing:

• ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely minced red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced dried onion or 1 teaspoon fresh minced onion
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

For the dressing:

• Combine all of the ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously to combine. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the salad:

• Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cool water.  Cook with extra virgin olive oil. 
• Place the pasta in a large bowl and add the bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, asparagus,  onion, olives, parsley and mozzarella balls. Pour the dressing over the pasta mixture and toss to coat.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Sprinkle the prosciutto over the salad.   
• Sprinkle the roasted pine nuts over the salad.    
• Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the salad.
• It’s especially good if you make it in advance and let it sit.   Be sure to mix thoroughly before serving.)