Recipe Background
If you're trying to amend your carnivorous habit and neither bun nor the beach is within reach, Jimmy Buffett Pasta Salad is the next best thing to a "cheeseburger in paradise." A bed of buttery, fluffy pasta is the vessel for this fun twist on the classic American creation. It's topped with everything Jimmy sings about: a big hunk of flavorful ground beef, crispy onions, crunchy lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and savory cheddar cheese. These tasty ingredients swim in a sweet and creamy mayo-ketchup dressing that you might even want to dip your french-fried potatoes in. You'll be asking, "Which way do I steer?" to anchor your fork into some Jimmy Buffett Pasta Salad!
If you're trying to amend your carnivorous habit and neither bun nor the beach is within reach, Jimmy Buffett Pasta Salad is the next best thing to a "cheeseburger in paradise." A bed of buttery, fluffy pasta is the vessel for this fun twist on the classic American creation. It's topped with everything Jimmy sings about: a big hunk of flavorful ground beef, crispy onions, crunchy lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and savory cheddar cheese. These tasty ingredients swim in a sweet and creamy mayo-ketchup dressing that you might even want to dip your french-fried potatoes in. You'll be asking, "Which way do I steer?" to anchor your fork into some Jimmy Buffett Pasta Salad!
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 12 ounces whole-wheat pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small sweet onion chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic chopped
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion chopped
- 1/2 cup pickles chopped
- 1/2 cup lettuce shredded
- 3/4 cup cheddar cheese shredded
For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
Directions
- Cook the pasta to al dente, according to the package instructions. Drain the water from the pasta and place the pasta in a large bowl. Set it aside to cool.
- While the pasta is cooking, in a pan over medium heat, add the olive oil, the sweet onions, and the garlic. Season with the salt and the pepper.
- Sauté the veggie mixture until soft and fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the ground beef to the veggie mixture, crumbling the meat while cooking, until the beef is no longer pink, about 7-10 minutes. Season the beef mixture with more of the salt and more of the pepper.
- Drain the excess grease from the beef mixture and place it in a separate bowl to cool.
- Add the cooled beef mixture, the tomatoes, the red onions, the pickles, the lettuce, and the cheddar cheese to the cooled pasta. Stir to combine.
- In a small bowl, stir the ketchup and the mayonnaise together until smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the salad.
- Plate and serve.
×