Italian Inspired Pasta Salad

You can probably tell that pasta salads are one of my go-to foods if I'm in a hurry. Why? Because they are so simple, but so filling at the same time. On Monday, I planned a last minute trip to Rhode Island with my boyfriend and I only had an hour to prep a dinner picnic. So, I came up with this SUPER easy, Italian Inspired Pasta Salad recipe. It has olives, capers, mozzarella, balsamic, San Marzano tomatoes, all of the great ingredients that makes Italian food delicious. It took me only 15 minutes to make, so if you need a good meal prep idea or quick dinner recipe, check this one out! You're going to love its' simplicity. Let's get to it.

Yields: 2-4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 15 minutes

This recipe is gluten free and vegetarian.

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Ingredients:

1 box of Eat Banza pasta (any shape works, honestly I prefer shells over penne)

Arugula

10-12 small San Marzano tomatoes

1 large cucumber or 2 small ones

Kalamata olives

Capers

Mozzarella cheese cut into rounds

Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic glaze

Juice of ½ lemon

Salt

Lemon pepper seasoning

Fresh basil, chopped chiffonade

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Instructions:

1. First, boil your pasta in salted water.

2. Now, grab a large serving bowl. While your pasta is cooking, finely dice 2 handfuls of arugula. Next, chop your San Marzano tomatoes into smaller chunks. Next, finely dice your cucumber(s). Now with the mozzarella rounds, chop 3 into smaller cubes.

3. Once the pasta is al dente, strain and rinse the pasta with cold water. Add the pasta into the serving bowl.

4. Now, add the arugula, tomatoes, cucumber, and mozzarella. Top with 10-15 chopped in half kalamata olives and 1 TSP of capers.

5. For the vinaigrette: in a small bowl add the juice of ½ lemon, 3 TBSPs of olive oil, and 2 11. TBSPS of balsamic glaze. Salt to your liking. Whisk well and pour onto the salad. Season with lemon pepper to your liking. Chiffonade fresh basil to garnish. Mix the pasta salad and enjoy!

I hope you love this recipe as much as I did, so if you do, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I always read through my suggestions and comments, so please let me know your thoughts. If you have any questions you can feel free to DM me here or through Instagram. Speaking of Instagram - please tag me in all of your creations! I love seeing how the recipes come out and seeing how talented you all are. Sending my love.

xoxo,

Jasmin D the RD