A Salad as a main? Yes please!
As the days get warmer and our summer goals creep up. The internet will soon be populated with all things green; salads, smoothies, smoothie bowls, gym selfies and more.
To contribute to the internet inspiration…I’m sharing this bright refreshing Strawberry pasta salad.I had really slacked on planning my meals and ended up eating poorly or sometimes not eating at all. Which definitely contributed to low productivity levels, low energy and general funky moods.
So in order to get things on track I decided to touch base with a simple old healthy meal option I used to make in university.
Pasta salads came to the rescue when I needed something cheap, fast and tasty, with the least cooking effort. Fast forward to now I still love pasta salads for the same reasons with a few more greens to pasta ratio and this salad is a kick start in the right direction.
I really love adding fruits, herbs and nuts to my salads to add depth, flavour crunch and of course a variety of nutrients. Plus It’s a great way to eat more fruits and vegetables on the daily.
So without further a do, here we go!
It just radiates health and delicious vibes. It’s quick, refreshing, so easy to make and totally instagram worthy because we eat with our eyes first.
Ingredients
- 1- 1½ Cups Pre Cooked Brown Pasta
- 2 Cups Baby Spinach
- ½ Cup Sliced Strawberries
- Sweet corn(1 Cob’s worth)
- 1 Medium Cucumber
- Toasted Cashew Nuts (Handful)
- Salt & Pepper
- Fresh Mint Leaves
Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 &1/2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tsp Honey
- 1/2 Tsp Chia Seeds (Optional)
- Salt & Black pepper to season
Method
- Start be making the salad dressing in in a small bowl or jar. Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle in some chia seeds and whisk again.
- In a large bowl combine the baby spinach with pasta, cucumber, strawberries, sweet corn, mint and some toasted cashew nuts.
- Pour the dressing over the salad just before serving, toss and season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Enjoy!
Tips
Prep the ingredients the day before and store them individually in the fridge so that when you’re ready to make the salad everything is set to go.
If you do give this strawberry pasta salad a go be sure to leave me a comment & rating to tell me what you think. Don’t forget to tag me on my socials @dinewithjemutai using the #DinewithJemutai so I can see your creations and share it with the online community. Enjoy!
