Mediterranean Vegetable Pasta Salad
In my circle and I am known as the salad lady. Anytime I am invited to a potluck dinner, I am asked to make salad. Most the time I make tabbouli; It is popular salad and no one want to chop 50 punches of parsley except me. My staff and I are famous for being good chopper. Sometimes, and especially when I do not know who else is attending the potluck, I play it safe, and make my Mediterranean vegetable pasta salad.
I love textures and colors in everything but especially in salads. So, I use red onion, green peppers, red bell pepper, and red cabbage for colors, nutrition and textures.
chopped red and green bell pepper and red onion
I add heart of palms, capers, chopped dry sun-dried tomato, carrots and kalamata olives for more unique flavors and extra textures.
carrots, sun-dried tomatoes and red cabbage
Heart of palms and pitted kalamata olives
Toss all the vegetables together. Whisk olive oil with lemon juice, lemon zest, oregano and salt and then drizzle this dressing over the vegetables and toss well.
Any short pasta will work in this salad but I like fusilli or corkscrew pasta.
Boil the pasta until just cooked but not mushy or as the Italian say al dente. Drain and add the hot pasta to the vegetable and toss well. Adjust the seasoning, allow the salad to cool before serving.
My husband loves this salad so he asked me to make extra so we can have it in the house to snack on while watching his favorite football team. I think I over did it. Check the amount I made. I think this will last him the whole football season.
Pasta Salad
- 1 .pound glutenfree fusilli pasta
- ½ green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- ½ red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 .small red onion, julienned
- 1 .carrot, diced
- 2 cups chopped red cabbage
- ½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives cut in halves
- 1 cup diced heart of palms
- ¼ cup capers
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- zest of 2 lemons
- 1 cup lemon juice
- ½ cup olive oil
- salt to taste
- Place the vegetables in a bowl.
- Whisk the oregano, the lemon zest, the lemon juice, the olive oil and the salt. Drizzle this dressing over the vegetables and toss well.
- Bring salted water to a boil. Drop the pasta and cook until done but not mushy. Drain well and add to the vegetables while hot. Toss well.
- Adjust the seasoning and allow the salad to cool before serving.
So, if you are looking for a salad that is nutritious, easy to make, last for a week and taste better everyday give this salad a try.
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