Healthy, Summer-Ready Pasta Salads!
Simple tips for making summer pasta salads healthy - including recipes!
Happy Monday! Summer is all about dining outdoors, and pasta salads can make the perfect side dish… or even a main for those who prefer it to grilled meats. Read on for:
Our favorite pasta salads
Tips on selecting the types of pasta - and a pasta cooking chart
Our VIP Salad Dressing Guide that you can use to make your own dressings
Three pasta recipes that deliver taste, antioxidants and fiber!
Enjoy!
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Our Favorite Pasta Salads
Dr. Weil’s Favorite Pasta Salad
Pasta Aglio Olio
Cook your favorite pasta al dente. Drain, saving about 1/4 cup of cooking water. Heat olive oil (about 1/4 cup for a pound of pasta). Add a lot of mashed garlic and stir-fry just until the garlic begins to color. Add some salt, red pepper flakes, and a small handful of well-washed, chopped parsley. Cook just until the parsley wilts and turns bright green. Remove from heat, add pasta cooking water, and mix with pasta. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.
Diana’s Favorite Pasta Salad
Cold Noodles with Tomatoes
This was a recipe that my dad turned me on to that I LOVE. I wasn’t terribly excited to make it just based on the name, but trust me… it’s a perfect summer meal, especially if you have a lot of grape tomatoes. You make a broth from rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, a bit of sugar, garlic, and mustard. Then cook thin wheat noodles and rinse them in cold water. Combine broth, noodles, well-washed halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced radishes, and scallions in a bowl and devour with glee. You can roast the tomatoes and scallions, and sub in pumpkin seeds or another crunchy alternative for the radishes if you choose.
Simple Tips for Delicious, Healthy Pasta Salads
Pasta salads are a traditional side dish for a reason: they can be cost-effective, filling, and extremely versatile! While we love pasta salads, some of the traditional versions aren’t so healthy. The good news is that if you think of pasta (or whole grains) as a base for building a nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory dish, the possibilities are practically endless.
Learn more about how to make simple swaps to turn your regular pasta salad into a healthy, nutritious, anti-inflammatory meal! And before we get started, we want to share a free pasta salad recipe - one of three we are offering up in this newsletter! This recipe calls for grilled vegetables and a delicious sauce - just chill and enjoy!
Cold Vegetable Pasta Primavera
Cold pasta dishes are often overlooked, perhaps because we are used to seeing them looking tired in a deli counter. When the noodles are made fresh and tossed with seasoned, grilled vegetables and homemade sauce, it makes all the difference.
7 Ways To Increase the Nutritional Value of Pasta Salad
With these tips, your salads will satisfy you with the addition of antioxidants, fiber, and protein! Try the following tips.
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