Side dish week continues with this absolutely lovely Mango and Papaya Pasta Salad with Creamy Lime Vinaigrette. I have been dreaming up this salad for quite some time now. And mango and papaya are close to their peak this time of year so they are tasting beautiful at the moment.
I think every outdoor get-together or potluck needs a salad that is a little bit sweet and a little bit savory. It helps to counteract all the other strongly flavored dishes sitting on the buffet table.
And once you make and taste this vinaigrette, I think you will find many others dishes it would work well with. Even though I haven’t tried it and if you wanted to give this recipe a protein boost, chunks of chicken (cold) would go well in this salad. The flavors would really work nicely.
Have you ever sliced a mango? They are kind of a pain because the seed is such an odd shape. But recently OXO sent me a few of their fruit tools and included was this mango splitter.
Oh my goodness, my life is now complete.
By placing the splitter in the middle of the mango and pushing down, it halves it into two perfect slices (no waste) and boom you’re done. I use this fruit constantly in my mango smoothies and favorite salad I can’t tell you how much I absolutely love this tool. It’s such a time saver. I think it’s now my fave kitchen gadget.
Have you ever scooped out the seeds of a papaya? I admit, they are strange looking, reminding me of, no lie, fish eggs. It was nice having this fruit scoop, also sent over by OXO, to remove them all in a couple swoops. This fruit scoop is one of a set-of-two that is so easy to use and remove seeds or flesh from watermelon, mango, kiwi, cantaloupe….you name it. The soft handles make it an easy and comfortable tool to work with.
Enjoy at your favorite summer potluck!
Two Years Ago: Vietnamese-Style Beef with Garlic, Black Pepper and Lime
Mango and Papaya Pasta Salad with Creamy Lime Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini pasta, dry
- 2 mangoes, seeded and cubed
- 2 papayas, seeded and cubed
- 4 green onions, sliced, white and green parts
- 1/2 cup flaked, sweetened coconut
Creamy Lime Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Directions
- Cook pasta to the al dente stage according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside until cool.
- In a mason jar, add all ingredients for dressing and shake vigorously to combine. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- While pasta is cooling prepare mango, papaya and green onions. When ready, combine mango, papaya, green onion, coconut and vinaigrette, toss well. Place in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours before serving.
