Many ingredients work well in a pasta salad. Here’s our take, but feel free to add your own twist and let your culinary juices flow.
Ingredients
For the main salad
- 300g fusilli pasta
- 1 large aubergine cut into bite-size chunks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp mixed dried herbs
- 3 tsp soya sauce
- 400g can butter beans
- 2 red peppers finely sliced
- ½ cucumber seeds removed then chopped into bite-size chunks
- 50g olives
- 1 stick celery finely chopped
- 20g capers
- 50g currants
- 200g fresh tomatoes cut into small chunks
- 100g sundried tomatoes sliced
- 50g pumpkin seeds
For the dressing
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tsp mustard
- 1 lemon juiced
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the garnish
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh oregano roughly chopped
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
- Cook the pasta according to the instruction on the packet. Drain, then cool in running water and drain again, before transferring to a large bowl. While the pasta is cooking move on to step 3.
- Place the aubergine onto a baking tray, mix the oil, herbs and 1 teaspoon of soya sauce together and coat the aubergine. Season with pepper. Place in the oven for 30 minutes, turning from time to time. When cooked add to the pasta.
- Drain the butter beans and rinse. Add the peppers, cucumber, olives, celery, capers, currants, fresh tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, butter beans and thyme to the salad.
- In a dry frying pan gently toast the pumpkin seeds for 5 minutes. Then add the remaining soya sauce, cook for 30 seconds then set to one side. When cool, add to the salad.
- Mix the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad. Toss the salad to get an even coating of dressing.
- Just prior to serving, add the fresh coriander and oregano.