Filled full of fresh seasonal veggies, chilled ravioli pasta, and topped with tangy sweet dressing, this is the show stopper of dinner salads! 

Help me name my Summer Salad! I made-up this recipe years ago on an evening when suddenly I needed to feed a lot of people at the very last minute. I raided my fridge for what I had on hand that could be throw together on the fly? And that’s how this main dish salad was born. . . 

Hot summer evenings simply call out for light, fresh salad. Sometimes I add chicken for protein and heartiness, especially when serving as the main event. Other times it’s meatless and presented as the bit on the side. . . 

What MAKES this salad is the homemade tangy sweet dressing. A friend made an asparagus dish with this dressing one summer evening and it rocked my world. She gave me the recipe scribble on a notecard. I still have the original in her hand writing. It always takes me back that lovely summer dinner on their deck, looking out over the lake and chatting late into the evening as the sun went down.

Year’s later when I was scrambling to pull together that quick last minute dinner for out of town friends, I thought of this delicious dressing. Could I incorporate it into the ravioli pasta I had in my fridge, along with some fresh veggies I had on hand? I found some gorgonzoa cheese in there too. What if I added some of the leftover rotisserie chicken for a little extra protein?

This Summer Salad is now a staple in my summer dinner repertoire. Friends constantly hit me up for the recipe and it’s often on the request list when brining a dish to a party or event. 

Love/Hate

I LOVE it with the blue cheese or gorgonzola crumbles, but as you all know, blue cheese is a love or hate kind of thing. You either really love it, or you really hate it! So I typically serve the cheese crumbles on the side so those who love can indulge, and those who hate can avoid! 

Name It?

Even though I’ve been making this dish for years, it still doesn’t have an official name. My friends refer to it as “that salad you brought to xyzzy”. . . . I really should give it a name. How about you make it, taste it, then tell me what you’d call it! 

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Michelle’s No Name Salad

Ingredients:

• Ravioli (I use cheese ravioli, but you can use any kind of ravioli)
• Asparagus – steamed al dente, blanched and chilled
• Sugar Snap Peas – ends removed
• Mini Tomatoes – cut in half
• Corn still on the cob, grilled or steamed, chilled and cut from the cob
• Add any other fresh season veggie you like and have on hand.
• Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola crumbles. I usually serve these on the side since people seem to very strong oppionis about blue cheese. They really love it or really hate it!
• Optional: Rotisserie chicken ethier cut in chunks or shredded.

Tangy Sweet Dressing

Blend Together:

• 1/3 cup Olive Oil
• 3 Tbls Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3/4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Tbls Grated or Minced Onion
• 1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp paprika

Note: You can serve this salad chilled for summer or warm for the winter.