Thursday, 9 January 2014

Five minute Pasta Salad.



Working almost full time means that the two days off I get, I try and pack as much blogging time as I can into them amongst all the other things that are on the to do list for those days. On such days cooking something styling it and capturing on camera takes a fair amount of time, especially in the winter when there is no daylight for good photography. Today was one of those days so when I saw a glimmer of sunshine peeping through the rain clouds I thought why not rustle a speedy lunch that I can click and post without much ado and before the daylight disappears. This pasta dish I made in 5 minutes flat and got it on a plate to take a picture before the rain clouds came out and the sunshine disappeared.


A healthy and delicious salad low in calories but delicious in taste.

Ingredients:

180g / 8 oz cold cooked penne pasta
1/4 yellow capsicum cut into strips
2 inch piece of cucumber cut into matchsticks
1 small carrot peeled and grated
1 small tomato cut in half and sliced
8 green seedless grapes cut in halves
30g / 10 oz cooked sweet corn
2 -3 basil leaves torn

Dressing

1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pinch of chilli flakes
1 teaspoon of chilli garlic hot sauce
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch of Italian oregano

Method: 

1.In a large bowl add the pasta, cucumber,capsicum, carrots, grapes and sweet corn, toss all the ingredients together.
2. In a glass jar with a screw top lid add all the ingredients listed in the dressing list . 
3. Place the lid on the jar and shake it to mix the dressing.
4. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss together.
5.Transfer the pasta salad to a serving dish and garnish with torn basil leaves
Serve immediately.


Submitting this to:













Flavours of the world ~Grand Finale













Javelin Warriors Made with luv
Healthy side dishes event by Priya Guest hosted by Nandoos Kitchen
Delicieux and Eat your Veg FSF Winter
Extra veg event by fuss free flavours and utterly scrummy
Pasta please event by Jac at tinned tomatoes and guest hosted by Tina of Spicy Pear

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28 comments:

  1. Thank you for entering your Five Minute Pasta Salad to this month's Pasta Please challenge. I've never tried pasta with grapes before, sounds like an interesting flavour combo. Great photo. I know exactly what you mean about light challenges, it can get so frustrating.

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    1. Actually Tina adding grapes was an afterthought, basically I raided the fridge and used what ever I could lay my hands on.It gave the pasta a natural sweetness and complimented the tang from the lemon juice.

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  2. Pasta salads are some of my favorite meals - so easy to make and packed with different flavors. This sounds very tasty...

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    1. The bonus is it can be made so quickly.

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  3. That looks amazing - pasta salads are one of my favourite things to eat and the fact that it takes so little time is even better!

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  4. God this looks awesome, I'm obsessed with cucumber at the minute, pretty sure i'd eat it all day every day if I could!

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  5. sounds so nice! im getting quite bored with my pasta dishes as its always the same. must try this out one time :)

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  6. I used to have salad with grapes all the time, so this isn't a big leap for me. I would have to substitute the pasta for gluten free, but besides that it sounds delicious!

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  7. That sounds delicious and a good time saver as well.

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  9. Mmm this just looks delicious. Hungry now ;)

    Louise x

    Confessions of a Secret Shopper

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  10. I love a good pasta salad. That looks yummy and perfect for my diet.
    www.leeshastarr.com

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  11. It's quite a smart idea to cook a little extra pasta when you make supper so that you have some left for a salad for lunch the next day...

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    1. Fiona, I always find I cook too much pasta so I use it up in salads the next day or make a pasta bake next day.

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  12. ooh-quick and easy!! Might have to give this a go for lunch!

    http://www.fridayisforeverblog.com/

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  13. this looks delicious & so easy too!

    L x

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  14. Ohh that looks delicious and I love how quick it is to put together that really can make all the difference. x

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  15. This would be a great student meal! I'll definitely be making it in the future!!

    Shannon x
    Fangirls & Foundations

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  16. Oh this light is terrible for photos isn't it, and the early darkness is so annoying. I rarely get much opportunity to photograph in good daylight and make the most of it when I can! Sounds like a lovely salad, a perfectly Virtuous entry to this month's Four Seasons Food, thanks so much for linking up.

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  17. This looks incredibly healthy and yummy. I am always look out for healthy lunches. thanks !
    The Diary Of A Jewellery Lover

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  18. It sounds nice would like to try it

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  19. That looks sooooo yummy!!! Thanks for posting!

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  21. I am on weight watchers so the one change I would make to this is using whole grain penne. I've never used grapes in pasta salad but it would be a zero point addition - this sounds yummy and nutritious and very versatile, too. Alana visiting from the UBC.

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  22. This sounds great - I love a hearty pasta salad with loads of veggies - perfect for a healthy and quick snack

    Laura x

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  23. For me the pasta would have to be hot, I cannot stand cold pasta salads x
    www.beautyqueenuk.co.uk

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  24. love salads for the fact they are soo simple and quick x

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  25. I do like some pasta with my salad, i like to feel i'm having a proper meal (as i sometimes feel hungry after a salad). this is is bright and tasty-looking.

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