Easy Pasta Salad

 

When purchasing a salad dressing that is deeply discounted and soon to expire in a few weeks; there is one dish that comes to mind... pasta salad. It is presumptuous to think that salads of any kind can only be enjoyed during the warmer months, I think that's not true. Salads, depending on ingredients whether they are seasonal or what ingredients are available, make for a meal and may be enjoyed anytime regardless of the weather. 

Easy Pasta Salad

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1 package (500g) fusilli or pasta of your choice

1 green pepper, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped  

1 yellow pepper, chopped

4 green onions, sliced

200g package of organic cremini mushrooms, sliced and sautéd

herbed halloumi cheese, sliced and panfried

475ml Catalina salad dressing 

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and allow to cool slightly.

Chop and slice the vegetables and prepare the mushrooms and cheese as stated in the recipe. 

Place the cooked pasta into a large bowl. Add all the prepared vegetables, including mushrooms, and toss together. Pour the entire bottle of Kraft's Catalina dressing over the pasta and vegetables. Toss to coat. Add the halloumi cheese and toss again. Serve with chopped green or black olives.

Creamy Pasta Salad

Recreating those classic summer salads are a creative way to add your own culinary touches by trying different ingredients and seasonings. Adding twists to salads is another way to pack in more vegetables and flavour. If a creamy pasta salad isn't your preference then feel free to change it up. Simply toss with a herb oil and vinegar based dressing for a lighter touch.   

  

Pasta Salad

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1 - 500g pkg rotini pasta

1 cup olive oil mayonnaise

1/2 cup plain Greek yoghurt or light sour cream

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

2-3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon vegetable herb seasoning mix

1/2 cup chopped red onion

2 cups chopped broccoli, raw or slightly steamed

1/2 cup peas, fresh or thawed frozen

1/2 cup chopped green pepper, optional

handful of sunflower seeds

Cook pasta according to package. Drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside and allow to drain again. Prepare the vegetables accordingly. 

In a large bowl, combine and stir the mayonnaise, Greek yoghurt, grainy mustard, white wine vinegar, smoked paprika, and the vegetable herb seasoning mix together. Then add the chopped red onion, steamed or raw broccoli, peas and chopped green peppers, if using any, to the dressing. Stir. 

Place the cooked drained pasta in a large serving bowl and pour the seasoned vegetable dressing over top. Gently toss to coat. Chill before serving. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds before serving. 

Notes: you may also add grated carrots and or chopped red pepper. 

Leftovers #33 ~ Pasta Salad

As fridge forage salads go this one had everything but the kitchen sink. For those times when one cooks a bit more pasta than required and doesn't want it to go to waste, this salad was quick and easy. Cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, diced red onion, ribbon carrots, chopped red and green peppers, pan-fried veggie bacon and pan-fried halloumi cheese tossed in a herb lime avocado oil dressing. Very filling and delicious.

  

Leftovers #13 ~ Pasta Salad

Seems like I always cook either too much pasta or too much rice. Regardless, I always make use of either. This time I had leftover pasta. And decided to make a pasta salad. 

Poking around the refrigerator to see what veggies I had on hand... I sliced cucumbers, diced yellow peppers, chopped green onions, used some remaining sliced olives, from the pizzas we made, and crumbled some feta cheese onto the leftover pasta in a large bowl. Gently gave it a toss and since I had some homemade salad dressing on hand, I drizzled that over everything, tossed again and transferred the pasta salad to a serving dish. I also chopped some lovely hothouse tomatoes that were placed on just before serving or according to individual taste. Very simple and easy! 

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend! - JW