Minestrone Pasta Salad

By ezunich

Ingredients

• 6 oz dry pipette or medium shell pasta
• 1 cup fresh green beans, cut into thirds
• 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup small cauliflower florets
• 1 cup quartered and sliced zucchini
• 1 cup each sliced carrots, celery and fence bulb
• 1 cup diced Parmesan
• 3/4 red wine vinegar
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 3 tbs grated onion
• 2 tbs minced fresh garlic
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt
• pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package. Add green beans in the last 5 minutes of cooling, drain and rinse with cold water. Toss pasta and green beans with kidney beans, tomatoes, cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, celery, fennel and Parmesan in a large bowl.
For vinaigrette, whisk together vinegar, oil, onion, garlic, Dijon, Italian seasoning and pepper flakes;season with salt and pepper. Toss salad with vinaigrette; chill at least one hour.