I’m a huge fan of pasta, and I love a great salad, but oddly enough, I’m not big on pasta salads. Every time I had one, there was this weird “salad dressing” vinegary tang on the pasta that I just felt should’n’t’ve been there. But in the heat of the summer, a big hot bowl of pasta doesn’t feel right so the discovery of a simple, delicious, healthy and cool, pasta salad was a great find!
Serve this up as a main WITH a salad, or on the side…load it up with veggies (I find steamed and chopped asparagus spears are really nice in it too), this versatile dish will be on your table in 15 minutes flat!
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 min
Assembly time: 5 min
|
Ingredient |
Amount |
Prep |
|
Spiral pasta |
300g | El dente |
|
Pesto * |
100ml |
Store bought is just fine by me |
|
Cherry tomato |
2 handfuls |
Cut in half |
|
Peas |
1 cup |
Thawed |
| Spinach | 3 handfuls |
Washed |
For your own fresh pesto: https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/pesto/
Make it a vegan pesto: https://minimalistbaker.com/easy-vegan-pesto-5-minutes/
- Prepare your pasta according to package directions. I used a spiral pasta but penne would be good too
- Meanwhile, wash and chop the cherry tomatoes in half
- If using frozen peas, just run them under some cool water and melt off any ice. Put aside
- Bagged baby spinach leaves are the easiest to use, but if using a spinach bunch, chop off the roots, give them a really good rinse and set the leaves aside
- When pasta is el dente, turn off the heat, drain and rinse pasta, return to the pot and add the pesto sauce and spinach for a good wilting
- When spinach is sufficiently wilted, add peas, cherry tomatoes, mix it up well and serve!
I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do! Let me know what your favourite substitutions are!
