Red & Green Summer Pasta Salad

Pasta Salad is often associated with Spring and Summer. Now that the summer heat has gotten high, here is a recipe for a simple Pasta Salad which can be served for Lunch or Dinner as a wholesome meal. You don’t have to spend hours cooking in the kitchen, when you can prepare tasty salads with minimal cooking and readily available ingredients. Any salad can be made wholesome and tasty by adding fruits, vegetables, nuts and egg/meat.

Red & Green Summer Pasta Salad

Here is the recipe for a lovely Red & Green Summer Pasta Salad made with fresh strawberries, bell peppers, salami, walnuts & lettuce greens. The strawberries impart the right sweetness to the salad, the nuts give crunchiness and the salami makes it satisfying. I boil Pasta and then store it in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 days so that I can make quick salads with whatever ingredients I have in my pantry. So go ahead and try this recipe. This recipe serves 2-3.

Ingredients

1. Cooked Pasta – 4 to 5 cups (Fusilli, Penne, Elbow Pasta or any variety)
2. Ripe Strawberries – 6 to 8 medium sized ones
3. Iceberg Garden Salad – 4 cups (Iceberg Lettuce, Carrots & Red Cabbage)
4. Cotto Salami – 2 slices
5. Finely chopped Roasted Walnuts/Pecans – A handful
6. Thinly Sliced Bell Peppers – 1/2 cup
7. Salt – to taste
8. Black Pepper – to taste
9. Ranch or any dressing of your choice – 2 tbsp (optional)

Preparation Method

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to the instructions on the packet, until pasta is al dente. Drain and keep aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat a non stick pan and place the Cotto Salami slices and allow it to lightly brown on both sides for a minute or two. Drain on to paper towels and slice it into small pieces.
3. Chop strawberries, bell peppers, walnuts and garden salad into bite sized pieces.
4. Toss all the ingredients in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add any dressing of your choice like Ranch or Mayonnaise. You can also skip the dressing. Instead, sprinkle few teaspoons of olive oil.
5. Serve this salad at room temperature or you can go ahead and refrigerate it before serving.