With the hot days, the desire to spend time cooking in the kitchen dwindles, although the desire to eat remains. This past salad recipe works for hot summer days. Here at Green Prophet, we publish at least one hot-weather recipe every summer, like this easy and delicious potato salad. And of course, summer’s wild herb, purslane, is popping up in every windowbox and garden, like, well, a weed, for you to nibble on or stir into dishes. If you need more inspiration, here’s an entire summery menu plan for you to choose from.
Broccoli is in season now. Combined with tricolor pasta and other quickly-cooked vegetables, it makes a salad that satisfies fickle summer hungers but doesn’t leave the diner uncomfortably full.
Pasta Salad With Summer Vegetables
Serves 4
500 grams – 1 pound tri-color pasta, cooked, drained, and cool
1 small head broccoli, separated into florets
1/2 cup carrot cubes
1/2 cup baby corn cobs
Handful of cherry tomatoes, roasted or fresh and halved
3 tablespoons olive oil
1- 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook the pasta and drain. Cook the broccoli in a heavy frying pan with a little olive oil over medium heat until crisp-tender – 5 to 7 minutes. Cook carrots in boiling water 5 minutes or until barely tender.
Steam baby corn until tender. Drain each vegetable and allow to cool.
Toss all the vegetables with cooked pasta.
Whisk the oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper together and add chopped basil. Toss with the pasta.
Note: Toss a handful of salty feta cheese cubes into this salad if you want to make it a bit heartier.
More easy, summery salad recipes:
Vegewarian is a phrase used to indicate awareness of eating less meat and more sustainably produced foods like vegetables.
Image of pasta salad with broccoli via Shutterstock.
Author: Miriam Kresh
Miriam Kresh is an American ex-pat living in Israel. Her love of Middle Eastern food evolved from close friendships with enthusiastic Moroccan, Tunisian and Turkish home cooks. She owns too many cookbooks and is always planning the next meal. Miriam can be reached at miriam (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Where can I find vegan tri color pasta? All the packages says they are processed on equipment/ facility that uses egg.