Super quick and easy cold fusilli pasta recipe to make. Creamy, vegetarian pasta salad great for picnics, BBQ or beach parties. The creamy sauce is made with tomatoes, peppers and cucumber. Plenty of natural goodness in this recipe and the children will never find out!
When thinking about salad it comes to mind something leafy with plenty of vegetables which might not come to everyone taste, especially those fussy eaters! What if you can have the best of both worlds: the goodness from all the Vegetables and appeal of Pasta!
That’s why I bring you this recipe, with all the nutritional benefits of great summer ingredients and some pasta (in Italy you cannot go without a pasta dish on the table) to give you and your family extra energy.
Check out my article on benefits of Mediterranean Diet and how to boost your immune system for your overall health and well being! If you like the salads, you will also enjoy our Tuscan style Panzanella Salad, click on the link to check out the recipe.
As the matter of fact, when I was working in Isola D’Elba in the privately owned beach resort, cold fusilli pasta salad was one of the most popular specials on the menu and would sell out in minutes!
You can take this vegetarian pasta salad with you anywhere, to the beach or a park. Serve as a side during a BBQ and everyone will love it!
Let's make a Fusilli Pasta salad!
Ingredients
- 400 g Fusilli pasta
- 100 g Tomatoes
- 50 g Red or yellow pepper
- 50 g Cucumber
- 50 g Mayonnaise
- 10 ml Extra virgin olive oil
- 5 g Basil leaves
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Method:
- Place roughly cut tomatoes, cucumber, pepper and basil into a blender or liquidiser and blitz till smooth
- Adding the olive oil and seasoning before the last few seconds.
- Place the sauce in a large bowl and add mayonnaise steering till well mixed.
- Cook the pasta (you can use any shape of pasta you like, I recommend short pasta like fusilli or penne, as it is great bite size) in boiling salted water for 2 minutes less than the advertised cooking time
- Cool under cold water and drain well
- Place in the bowl with the sauce, steer and adjust for seasoning.
Hints and Tips
This recipe is so straight forward anyone can execute it!
If bigger tomatoes are used remove the watery seeded inside pulp before blending.
Make sure the sauce is blended properly without any bits, otherwise it will not be smooth on a pallet.
Leave fusilli pasta to rest in the sauce in the refrigerator for at least 30 min before serving, to make the pasta start to absorb the sauce in its fibre.
You can even give vegetarian pasta salad to your children in school as a healthy snack! Serve pasta salad with a few side dishes like roasted carrots and zucchini!
Equipment
- liquidiser
Ingredients
- 400 g Fusilli pasta
- 100 g Tomatoes
- 50 g Red or yellow pepper
- 50 g Cucumber
- 50 g Mayonnaise
- 10 ml Extra virgin olive oil
- 5 g Basil leaves
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place roughly cut tomatoes, cucumber, pepper and basil into a blender or liquidizer and blitz till smooth adding the olive oil and seasoning before the last few seconds.
- Place the sauce in a large bowl and add mayonnaise steering till well mixed.
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 2 minutes less than the advertised cooking time
- Cool under cold water and drain well.
- Place in the bowl with the sauce, steer and adjust for seasoning.
Notes
HINT AND TIPS
If bigger tomatoes are used remove the watery seeded inside pulp before blending.Leave the pasta to rest in the sauce in the refrigerator for at least 30 min before serving. Allergen: EGG, SULPHIDES Suitable for Vegetarians
Vegetarian pasta salad recipe is so versatile, you can add olives and capers to the finish sauce to give a Mediterranean twist!
Please leave the comment below after you tried the recipe and let me know how did you get on.
As a Chef I always seek for feedback from the fellow colleagues and the guests of the party or family members.
If you have twisted the recipe to make it unique feel free to post pictures and leave comments below.
Check out my lovely summer recipe of Spaghetti alla Crudiola for another authentic Italian summer dish with fresh tomatoes, garlic, chilli and basil! Other recipes which you might enjoy are:
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