Zucchini Flower Pasta Salad
Tender zucchini, delicate squash blossoms and shaved pecorino Romano come together in this fresh summer pasta salad with mint and walnut vinaigrette.
Ingredients
Mint and Walnut Vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp white-wine vinegar
- 1½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 large shallot finely chopped
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup walnut oil
- ½ cup finely chopped toasted walnuts
- 2 tbsp finely chopped mint
- ¼ tsp each salt and freshly ground pepper
Pasta Salad
- 1⅓ cup short pasta, such as anelli, campanelle or torchiette approximate
- 3 small zucchini cut into thin rounds
- 12 zucchini flowers
- 11/4 cups shaved Pecorino Romano
- ½ cup small tender mint leaves
Instructions
Vinaigrette
- In bowl, whisk together vinegar, Dijon, honey and shallot. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, then walnut oil, in a steady stream, whisking continuously. Stir in walnuts and mint. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and taste before adding more.
- In large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 1 minute longer than recommended in package directions. Drain; transfer to large shallow bowl and toss with half the vinaigrette while still hot. Let cool to room temperature.
- Stir in zucchini. Trim zucchini flowers and tear in half; stir into pasta mixture with pecorino Romano and mint leaves. Taste salad before adding more vinaigrette (different pastas will need different amounts). Serve immediately.