Healthy pasta salad recipes are a cornerstone of summer cooking for good reason.
Theyre a simple way to creatively pack in a variety of yummy ingredients, like fresh seasonal produce.
Theyre also versatileas perfect formeal prepas an impromptu backyard BBQ.
Monique Volz viaAmbitious Kitchen
And whilepastasalads are more classically a side dish, theyre actually ideal for a filling main course too.
Pasta salad covers all those bases pretty easily, with flavors and nutrients galore.
Many also include aprotein sourcelike chicken, beans, shrimp, lentils, eggs, or tofu.
A note about the wordhealthyhere: We know that healthy is acomplicated concept.
But it also depends on your preferences, your culture, whatsaccessibleto you, and so much more.
Optional add-ins include zucchini and olives.
Citrus Israeli Couscous SaladFromFood Fidelity
Couscous is indeed a kind of pasta, technically speaking.
Here its cooked with orange juice and mixed with plump cranberries, quick-pickled red onions, and grilled asparagus.
The secret ingredient in the sweet and vinegary dressing?
Its rich in umami flavor.
Lentil and Pasta SaladFromHoly Cow!
She recommends additions/substitutions like hard-boiled eggs, imitation crab, and apple.
There are no substitutions for this cilantro-cashew-lime-and-jalapeno pesto though!
BLT Pasta SaladFromWell Plated
Bacon in a pasta salad?
The dressing for this BLT-inspired dish is half ranch, half Greek yogurt.
Use all bell peppers if you dont like things too spicy.
you might sub goat cheese for the feta.
