Pasta salads: delicious and nutritious recipes

Pasta salads are delicious, fresh and light options ideal for summer days. Discover some unique recipes easy to prepare at home.

A plate of cold pasta accompanied by vegetables, fruits, vegetables and aromatic herbs is an ideal dish to eat any day in the summer. Pasta dishes are a good source of carbohydrates, vitamins and proteins plus the benefits of the properties of the foods with which we accompany it.

As you surely know, pasta is an interesting and essential food in a varied and balanced diet, especially if we opt for its integral version, which provides us with complex carbohydrates (which are digested slowly and do not cause glucose peaks), and that stand out especially for their high fiber content.

On the other hand, if we consume it cold we find ourselves before a delicious refreshing dish for the summer, or in short for any day of the year when it is hot. In addition, they are usually extremely easy recipes to prepare.

The recipes that we present below can be made with the pasta that we like the most, with spaghetti, tagliatelle, shells and bows.

Tropical Macaroni Salad

We have made this tropical salad with pineapple and kiwi, although it admits any other tropical fruit that you prefer or that you like more.

Ingredients:

• 400 grams of macaroni.
• Water and salt to cook the pasta.
• A can of medium pineapple in its juice.
• 2 kiwis.
• 2 natural yogurts.
• One lemon’s juice.
• Salt.
• A pinch of vanilla (vanilla sugar, or liquid vanilla).

Elaboration:

• Cook the pasta in a cauldron with plenty of water and a little salt.
• We put the water to heat and once it starts to boil we add the pasta and cook it for 10 minutes.
• Once cooked, we pass it through cold water, drain it and reserve it.
• We open the can of pineapple, drain the juice and reserve a cup.
• Cut the pineapple into small cubes.
• We remove the skin from the kiwis and cut them into small cubes as well.
• We mix the yogurts with the lemon juice, the pineapple juice, the vanilla, and beat well.
• Pour the pasta into a bowl or salad bowl, add the yogurt sauce on top of the pasta, mix well and add the pineapple and kiwis.
• We keep the pasta salad in the fridge until it’s time to bring it to the table.

Spaghetti salad with quail eggs

In case of not having or obtaining quail eggs, we can substitute these eggs for chicken eggs.

Ingredients:

• 400 grams of spaghetti.
• Water and salt to cook the pasta.
• A 200 gram can of tuna in oil.
• A small chive.
• One red pepper.
• A green pepper.
• 2 salad tomatoes.
• 100 grams of pitted green olives.
• 8 cooked quail eggs or 4 cooked chicken eggs.
• 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
• A little bit of oregano.
• Salt.
• A pinch of ground black pepper.

Elaboration:

• We start by putting the pasta to cook in a cauldron with plenty of water and a little salt.
• Once the water starts to boil, add the pasta and cook for 10 minutes.
• We remove the pasta from the heat, we pass it through cold water, we drain it and we reserve it.
• We cook the quail or chicken eggs.
• Once cooked, we let them cool down and then remove the peel and reserve them to decorate the pasta.
• If they were chicken eggs, we will cut them into wheels to decorate the pasta dish.
• We wash the peppers, tomatoes, chives and chop everything into small cubes.
• We crumble the tuna together with its oil.
• We arrange the pasta in a salad bowl or platter.
• Add to the pasta all the ingredients that we have chopped, plus the tuna, a pinch of salt, a pinch of ground black pepper, the 6 tablespoons of olive oil, the oregano and stir everything well to mix with the pasta.
• We place the quail eggs so that they decorate the pasta dish.
• We keep the pasta in the fridge until it’s time to serve it.

Bow tie salad with tuna and anchovies

Ingredients:

• 400 grams of bows.
• Water and salt to cook the pasta.
• A 200 gram can of tuna in oil.
• A can of anchovies.
• 100 grams of pitted green olives.
• 100 grams of pitted black olives.
• 2 tablespoons of capers.
• 5 small pickles.
• 2 salad tomatoes.
• A small can of bell peppers.
• A few leaves of parsley.
• 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
• 3 tablespoons of vinegar.
• A pinch of salt.
• A pinch of ground black pepper.
• A tablespoon of mustard.

Elaboration:

1. In a cauldron we put plenty of water and a little salt to cook the pasta.
2. When the water begins to boil, add the pasta and cook for 10 minutes.
3. We turn off the heat, put the pasta in cold water and drain it.
4. We reserve the pasta while we are preparing the dressing or dressing with which we are going to accompany the pasta.
5. We drain the oil from the tuna can and keep it for the dressing.
6. To prepare the dressing, mix the tablespoons of olive oil, the tuna oil, the vinegar, the mustard, a pinch of salt and a pinch of ground black pepper.
7. We stir well to bind the dressing.
8. Next, we chop the gherkins, tomatoes, peppers, olives and parsley into small pieces.
9. We arrange the pasta in a bowl or salad bowl and add all the ingredients that we have chopped up, plus the tuna, anchovies and capers.
10. We add the dressing that we had reserved on top and stir everything to mix well.
11. We reserve in the fridge until serving time.

Tagliatelle salad with watercress

Ingredients:

• 400 grams of tagliatelle.
• Water and salt to cook the pasta.
• One tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
• 2 small chives.
• A bunch of watercress.
• A Golden apple.
• 250 grams of mayonnaise.
• 100 ml. of liquid cream.
• One lemon’s juice.
• 50 ml. skimmed milk.
• A pinch of ground black pepper.

Elaboration:

• We put water in a cauldron with a little salt to cook the pasta.
• When the water begins to boil, add the pasta and cook respecting the cooking time indicated on the package.
• If you do not have the instructions, once it boils, cook the pasta for 12 minutes.
• We remove the pasta from the heat, we pass it through cold water, we drain it and we reserve it while we are making a dressing.
• Mix the mayonnaise with the cream, milk and lemon juice and reserve the dressing.
• We remove the skin from the apple, cut it into thin slices and add a few drops of lemon juice so that it does not oxidize.
• We wash the watercress well, drain them and finely chop, we can use a mincer or mixer.
• Chop the chives finely.
• We place the pasta in a bowl and mix with the chopped chives, watercress and apple.
• Then add the dressing on top and add salt and pepper.
• We remove and reserve in the refrigerator until the moment of serving it.

Small shell salad with vegetables

Ingredients:

• 400 grams of small shells.
• Water and salt to cook the pasta.
• 2 salad tomatoes.
• 100 grams of peas.
• 100 grams of green beans.
• 3 small carrots.
• One red pepper.
• A green pepper.
• A cup of industrial or homemade mayonnaise.
• Salt.
• A teaspoon of mustard.

Elaboration:

• We prepare a cauldron with plenty of water and a little salt and put it to heat to cook the pasta.
• Once the water starts to boil, add the pasta and cook it for 10 minutes.
• We turn off the heat, put the pasta in cold water, drain it and reserve it while we prepare the vegetables.
• We wash the tomatoes and cut them into small cubes.
• We do the same with the peppers.
• We remove the skin from the carrots and cook them until they are tender.
• We wash the green beans and peas and put them to cook until tender.
• When the carrots are cooked and the green beans, we also cut them into small cubes.
• We arrange the pasta in a salad bowl and add the minced vegetables, the peas, the tomatoes, and the peppers.
• We stir to integrate all the ingredients well.
• Mix the mayonnaise well with the teaspoon of mustard and pour it over the pasta, stir to mix well.
• We reserve the vegetable pasta salad in the fridge until it’s time to serve it.

Suggestion: The mayonnaise can be substituted for a pink sauce.