Healthy Pasta Salad
Everyone loves a good Pasta Salad, but how about a Healthy Pasta Salad? A lot of the time you sacrifice flavor when you cook with healthy ingredients.
A couple weeks ago, Doug and I were at our favorite Farmers Market and I spotted some beautiful Multi-Colored Tomatoes. I had remembered seeing a very simple idea on Barefoot Contessa for Roasted Tomatoes. I thought they would make a perfect side dish. We bought them with every intention of roasting them for a side dish.
On the way home, we started chatting about how we could roast the tomatoes and add them to a Pasta Salad. I had recently received some of the Barilla, Piccolini Rich in Fiber – White, their new line of pasta and wanted to give it a try. Whole grain is certainly healthier than enriched white pasta.
But how could we add the extra flavor we wanted without adding a bottle of Italian Dressing like we usually do. Nakano Roasted Garlic Seasoned Rice Vinegar to the rescue.
Not only is this Pasta Salad healthy, and tastes great, it can also be served hot or cold. Right after Doug and I made it, we had some for lunch, then served it again as a cold Pasta Salad to go along with our burgers.
Just look at these gorgeous tomatoes…
I just love all the colors. They are Black Cherry, Honey Grape and Orange Cherry. Then we added the peppers…
I know…beautiful! {funny how foodies get so excited over peppers and tomatoes}
Wash the tomatoes, and slice the peppers. Place on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with about 1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and give them a good sprinkle of Kosher Salt and Black Pepper. Roll with your hands until well coated.
Roast in 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the tomatoes pop and the peppers are soft. Let rest.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the directions on the box, then drain and return to pan. Gently toss in the tomatoes and peppers, so they don’t break.
Give them a good splash with Nakano Roasted Garlic Seasoned Rice Vinegar, about 2-3 tablespoons. Mix together and serve hot or place in fridge to chill to serve later.
Healthy Pasta Salad
A healthy alternative for Pasta Salad. Recipe from HoosierHomemade.com
Ingredients
- 1 {13.25 oz} box Barilla Piccolini Mini Rotini
- Cherry Tomatoes {about 2 cups, any variety}
- Peppers, any colors, cleaned and sliced thinly
- Kosher Salt
- Pepper
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil {about 1/4 cup}
- 2-3 tablespoons Nakano Roasted Garlic Seasoned Rice Vinegar
Instructions
- Wash tomatoes and place on cookie sheet
- Clean and slice peppers, place on cookie sheet
- Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper
- Roast for about 20 minutes or until tomatoes pop and peppers are soft
- Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions on the box
- Drain pasta and return to pan
- Fold in tomatoes and peppers, gently
- Splash with Seasoned Rice Vinegar
- Toss and serve hot
- Or place in fridge, covered, and serve cold later
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0g
How do you make your favorite dishes healthy?
Disclosure: I’m a Mizkan Blogger Advocate and this is a compensated post. I was also sent Barilla Pasta to try. All the opinions and photos are my own.
Linking to…Delicious Dishes
This salad looks divine, Liz. I adore Wild Oats too! I miss living in Albuquerque. They were a go-to stop just a mile from our house!
So excited you like it Mary! Hopefully you can find the Wild Oats products near you at Walmart.
~Liz
What temp is the oven when you roast the vegetables? I have never tried this, it looks awesome.
Hi Lori, roast the vegetables at 400 degrees for about 20 min.
So glad you like it 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
~Liz