It’s summer which means one thing (along with a variety of other things): Pasta Salad time!! Okay, it’s more nearing the end of summer and school will be starting in a few weeks. It’s sad!! When you have kids time flies. I’m hanging onto summer, while silently wishing it were the fall, only because I am roasting in my house. This week is going to be high 90’s and 3 digits, thus I am dreaming of ice, ice cold water and more ice. How we have survived without AC is baffling. Lord help us!!
Thank goodness I love pasta salads and they are fun to make and easy. They also don’t require heating up the kitchen, because that just doesn’t happen in the thick of summer for us. Thankfully nutritious foods exist without the need for “cooking.” My years of trying to eat completely raw has helped these past few months of summer.
You can basically use any pasta you like and throw any veggies or fruits with it, and you can have a great balanced meal. Use your creativity to make a healthy pasta salad or salad of your choice. The best ones are typically, the clean out the refrigerator types.
I have made this great pasta salad using the lemon pepper pappardelle pasta from Trader Joe’s since before Marc and I were married. My former roommate introduced me to this great tasting pasta, and I thought it would make a great base for a pasta salad. Like most pasta salads it is quick and easy. The hardest part is chopping the veggies, which you can do while you wait for the noodles to cook.
I used both organic grape tomatoes and organic cherry tomatoes from our garden or Farmers Market. You can also use Roma tomatoes. After the veggies were chopped and the noddles were done, I mixed the noddles into the veggie mixture and threw in a couple of handfuls of arugula and then added my olive oil and salt and pepper. That’s it!! Pasta complete!! You can top with feta as well and sprinkle some cayenne pepper for a spicier twist.
It’s nice too having leftovers for a few days as well. And would you look at all those colors!! Wholesome meals start with many colors, and this pasta salad delivers.
Total Time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 8 ounce packages of Lemon Pepper Pappardelle Pasta (from Trader Joe’s, you can also use plain pappardelle pasta as well, I just love the lemon pepper flavor)
- 1 large avocado, chopped
- 1 c grape tomatoes halved or 4 organic Roma tomatoes, chopped (bigger pieces)
- 1-2 c of cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
- 2 bell peppers,chopped (I used a red and yellow one)
- 4 green onions, chopped with the green ends, optional
- Couple handfuls of organic Arugula
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Feta to taste, optional
- Cayenne pepper to taste, optional
Directions: 1. Cook pasta according to package directions. 2. Throw all veggies and avocado into a large serving bowl, except the arugula, and stir together. When noodles are done, rinse and drain them and add to veggies. Stir well. 3. Mix in arugula and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
You can serve it warm or cold. Tastes great both ways (and if you can’t wait for it to cool, dive in).
***This made a lot of pasta salad. The extras were great for leftovers for lunch and dinner for a couple of days.
Servings: 8-10 (depending on how big your appetite is)
Veggie Lemon Pepper Pappardelle Pasta Salad #healthyeats #pastasalad Share on XHave a great Monday Friends!!