Making a pasta salad is a great lunch to have on hand or make for your next BBQ or cookout. The ingredients are customizable. You can use any pasta, veggies or protein you like. Prepare it ahead of time or the day of.
Ingredients
- 1 box of pasta of choice
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup black olives, halved
- 3 cucumbers chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup red onion diced
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- ⅓ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 3 tbsp slivered almonds
Vinaigrette
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Dietitian Tip
Add shrimp, chicken or salmon to this salad to make it protein packed and even more satisfying!
Directions
- Cook pasta according to box instructions, let cool and set aside in the fridge
- Drain and rinse canned beans and olives. Chop onion, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. Slice sundried tomatoes. Add ingredients to a bowl.
- Add cooked pasta to bowl with chopped veggies. Add drained beans, olives and spinach. Mix to combine.
- Prepare vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl. Once combined, pour over pasta salad. Add cheese. Add chopped almonds if desired.
Yield
7 servings
Nutrition Facts
200 Calories; 11g Fat (2 g Saturated Fat; 0 g Trans Fat); 5 mg Cholesterol; 150 mg Sodium; 39 g Carbohydrate (8 g Fiber, 6 g Sugar, 2g Added Sugar); 10 g Protein; 0% Daily Value (DV) Vitamin D; 10% DV Calcium; 20% DV Iron; 10% DV Potassium