Pasta Insalata

Click here to print this recipe

This is a healthy salad that the whole family will enjoy, courtesy of you and your "Little Chef".

Big Chef (you) will need to do all the chopping, cooking and blanching, Little Chef (your child) can add and mix the ingredients together. As you are creating your culinary delight, talk about the different colors, textures and aromas. Add in some flaked salmon, or chopped ham or BBQ chicken and you can make a lunch dish of it or a tasty summer evening meal.

Makes 4–6 servings

Ingredients
330g spiral pasta or shells or penne
1 tbs Olive oil
170g assorted vegetables such as broccoli, celery, carrots, zucchini, cucumber, snow peas, red and green capsicum, spring onions, string beans, and cherry tomatoes.

Dressing
4 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped basil
45g grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp mild mustard
Pinch black pepper

Method
Big Chef:
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add 1 Tbs olive oil and the pasta shapes. Cook until the pasta is just tender – about 10 - 12 minutes. Drain, rinse, and allow to cool.

Prepare the vegetables by cutting carrots, celery, zucchini and cucumber into matchsticks. Top and tail the snow peas.

Little Chef:
Break the broccoli into small florets.

Big Chef:
Chop capsicum into small pieces, thinly slice spring onions and string beans. Place all the vegetables, except the cucumber and tomatoes, into a pan of boiling water and simmer for about 3 minutes to blanch them. Drain. Allow to cool.

Little Chef:
Put the pasta into a large salad bowl and then mix in the blanched vegetables. Add the cucumber and cherry tomatoes. Mix together all the ingredients of the dressing, stir well then pour over the salad. Toss the salad with the dressing.