Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Mediterranean Pasta Salad
16 ounces whole wheat rotini or farfalle pasta (I love the Barilla brand)
2 cucumbers, peeled and diced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
1 can black olives, halved or 2/3 cup kalamata olives
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
Lemon-herb vinaigrette (see below), or 2/3 cup Brianna’s Home Style Real French Vinaigrette Dressing
Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons dried oregano, minced
1 teaspoon honey
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Rinse in cold water until cooled and place in a large mixing bowl.
While pasta is cooking, peel and dice the cucumbers. Wash and dice the tomatoes and cut the olives. Add the cucumber, tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese to the bowl with the pasta. Drizzle the dressing of choice over the salad and toss until evenly coated. Serve either alone or over a bed of spinach.
To make the dressing:
Place all ingredients together and either whisk or mix with an immersion blender.
Why this meal is nufiwa
This delicious pasta salad needed one major tweak to make it truly nufiwa: replacing the regular pasta with whole wheat pasta. Adding whole wheat to the meal adds protein, fiber, and other important minerals such as magnesium and zinc. The fiber and the protein make the pasta more satiating (which means you feel fuller sooner and longer).
Whole wheat pasta is available in most grocery stores and is very affordable, so it is an easy switch in any meal and has a great impact. You can do this for any of your favorites. Just swap out the pasta! Easy!
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven