Smoked Gouda Pasta Salad

Usually I’m one of those people who remembers the 4th of July on the 3rd of July, but this year was different.  Since we have some organized and adventurous friends, we had a camping trip planned about month in advance of the holiday weekend.  This was a good lesson for me in the fact that “anticipation is half the fun”, because it really was exciting having something to look forward to.    I even bought some  red and blue marshmallow roasting sticks as well as color coordinating paper plates to take with us.  And of course, I was excited to plan some of the menu.  When I saw this smoked gouda pasta salad, I immediately bookmarked it as a must try, and I thought camping would be the perfect opportunity.

I’m very familiar with the Caprese type pasta salad, and while the tomatoes, basil and mozzarella are tasty, I often feel that they are not strong enough flavors to create an interesting pasta salad.  I’ve made that type of salad many times, and usually end up picking out everything but the pasta.  That’s what I think is so great about this recipe – the pasta itself has some great flavor. It’s also really easy to make and requires pretty basic ingredients.  While you might not regularly buy  chipotle peppers in adobo sauce,  they add a lot of great flavor for a small cost.  The thing that used to annoy me about them is that most recipes only call for 1-2 peppers and I would inevitably let the leftovers sit in the fridge until they looked so gross that I didn’t feel guilty throwing them away- but I have found the solution.  Well, actually I should say that Sara over at Our Best Bites has found the solution: freeze the peppers in individual cubes of how much you might need.  See her post here to see what I’m talking about.  But seriously, don’t skip the chipotles- the adobo has very little spice but adds a smokey flavor that complements the gouda nicely.  Then you can make this pasta salad and eat it out of  individual ziplocs like we did on our picnic (classy I know).  Or don’t do that, and eat it like a normal person, out of a bowl – I’m pretty sure it will taste good either way.

By the way, we went to Mackinac Island.  You should totally make the trip if you live anywhere near Michigan, or even if you don’t.  I did not remember such cool places existing in Michigan – it’s kind of making me change my view of the Midwest (at least until winter comes :-)).

Smoked Gouda Pasta Salad

Serves 10-12 as a side

• 1 lb (16 oz) Mostaccioli pasta
• 1/2 cup light Mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup Milk (I used part skim, part cream)
• 5 Tablespoons White Vinegar
• 1 T. Adobo Sauce From Chipotle Peppers
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper To Taste
• 2 pints  Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
• 1/2 pound Smoked Gouda Cheese, Cut Into Small Cubes
• 30 whole Basil Leaves, sliced thin (chiffonade)