I am struggling with lunch at the moment because I find I get sick of the same stuff over and over so am really putting in effort to be more creative. Now that spring is here I’m going to be doing pasta salads a lot more often. They are a really good meal prep option as they can last quite a while in the fridge and you can easily mix them up with different fresh ingredients. It’s a great make ahead meal for my husband to take to work and my baby is always up for pasta so it’s a win win! (How cute are my boys in these photos… had to show them off)
This pasta salad has a strong medditeranran vibe to it which I love! The flavours come from the “sauce” which I make in a big batch and store in the fridge or freezer . The sauce is very thick and dense. It’s more like a paste. We use it for pasta, as a spread or a dip. There’s also no cooking involved (besides cooking the pasta) as the sauce is mostly raw. You don’t need a lot of if for this pasta. Maybe just a couple of big tablespoons to mix through and it gives off plenty of flavour. The ingredients are so light and fresh and go perfectly with lots of fresh greens and cherry tomatoes (or anything else you like) .
You all know that I’m a huge fan of spelt so I used my favourite spelt pasta spirals from San Remo. Also spirals just look awesome in a salad so I had to! Just make sure you don’t over cook your pasta as the sauce is very thick and the pasta will break apart when your trying to mix in the sauce if your not careful. Hope you love this pasta as much as I do!
| Walnut Sundried Tomato and Olive Spring Pasta Salad | Print |
- Spelt pasta spirals from San Remo
- SAUCE:
- ½ cup raw walnuts ( soaked overnight)
- 1 tsp tahini
- 1½ tsp sliced pitted black olives
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ small red capsicum
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 TBSP finely chopped sun dried tomatoes
- 1 tsp mixed mixed herbs of choice ( I used basil and oregano)
- SALAD INGREDIENTS:
- Handful of mixed greens or spinach
- cherry tomatoes
- extra olives
- olive oil and lemon juice for dressing
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool.
- For the sauce: add all ingredients to the food processor and process until a thick and dense paste forms.
- Toss with your pasta spirals until well coated. You may have some sauce left over.
- Add in the greens, cherry tomatoes and any other salad ingredient you like.
- Top with a little extra olive oil and lemon juice and enjoy.
- Stores well in the fridge for a few days
