Buttermilk Pasta Salad
Whenever I go to parties the sweet tooth in me leans towards bringing a dessert. Turns out, a sweet tooth is a common trait amongst my friends. Meaning our potlucks are usually filled with sweet treats.
Here is a light and fresh pasta salad for when Cheryl is already bringing those lemon bars. It’s savory and filling, but not too heavy. Which is good because Gary will be bringing those sourdough cookies as well…
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of buttermilk - see notes *
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 cup of Mayo
2 tspn of dill
2 tspn of basil
2 tspn of garlic - fresh or dried
1 tspn paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Half of a red onion diced
1 can of corn or 1 1/2 cups of frozen corn
1 package of bow tie pasta - or other pasta of choice
1 cup of freshly grated parmesan
Directions:
Cook the pasta until al dente - firm, not too soft or mushy. Strain and place in a bowl. Cook the corn in butter until softened and a lightly caramelized. Then add it to the bowl. Dice the purple onion and add it to the bowl.
Now we are going to make the sauce. If you don’t have buttermilk, check out the notes. Add the buttermilk, lemon juice, mayo, spices, and salt and pepper into a bowl and mix them together well.
Pour the sauce over the pasta and veggies and then top with parmesan. Serve immediately or refrigerate overnight.
If you’re like me, and like to use other people’s recipes as a foundation for a meal and then add your own twist to it, there are many ways to individualize this pasta salad. Some delicious additions would be more veggies such as cucumbers, peppers, or tomatoes. Even some dijon mustard or hott sauce would add some extra pizzazz to it!
* Notes: If you do not have buttermilk you can use milk and lemon or distilled vinegar until the milk curdles. For every 1 cup of milk stir in one tablespoon of lemon or vinegar. Wait until it curdles. You may have to add more lemon or vinegar.
