Each of the seven starred entries forms an anagram of a color name, if you add one more letter: e.g. S+CARTEL = SCARLET. The remaining colors are PRIMR(O)SE, SA(L)MON, (V)IOLET, ORANG(E), LAVE(N)DER, and MAGEN(T)A. The added letters spell the meta answer.
We all love RANGO! (My main problem was creating enough different shades of pink and purple and orange to highlight the significant words in the grid. )
Thanks, Ducks!
Had to use one-look on most of them. Glad this wasn't a apply-the-mechansim meta. Is there a reason they were all reds and red mixes? As I was doing the grid for a second I thought EMERGED was going to be EMERALD but then I noticed it had no asterisk (not to mention it doesn't really).