Every year it’s the same wonderful thing: a seemingly endless bounty of produce from my veggie garden. And I’m always looking for new and interesting ways to work our way through it all – because there are only so many BLTs, cucumber salads and tomato treats a girl can eat!
Throw in a little of this and that from your garden harvest for a delicious, healthy meal in minutes!
Photo Credit: Veronica Lorson Fowler
Whether your garden is producing just a few tomatoes or an endless supply of veggies, a garden pasta salad is a great way to make good use of your home-grown produce.
Photo Credit: Olga Lyubkina
Besides, I often have just a single tomato, bell pepper or the like ripe at the same time – not enough to serve the whole tribe. So I decided the best thing to do was whip up an easy pasta salad! The cool thing about this recipe is that it just takes a little of this and a little of that. Just scavenge for whatever looks good in the garden and rummage through the fridge to see what’s fresh in there, too. Leftover cold chicken, pork or beef – and some nice cheese – is a great way to add some protein to the dish. Carrots from the supermarket can add crunch, and a leftover half of an avocado works great for a creamy texture. Truly, you can toss in just about anything you’ve got, and you’ll still create an elegant, tasty dinner for just pennies a serving. But perhaps best of all: It only takes minutes to make! This is a great dish for a picnic or potluck, but it’s also ideal alongside grilled steaks or chicken. If possible, make it the night before to allow all the yummy flavors to blend. (Serves 6-8 as a side dish, 4 as a main dish.)
Everything-From-the-Garden Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- ½ pound cooked and cooled chunky-shaped pasta (penne, rotelle, bow tie or fusilli)
- ¾ cup salad dressing of your choice, or make a sweet vinaigrette (See Extras, right)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh herb, such as basil, parsley, thyme or tarragon
- ½ red or garden onion, chopped or ¼ cup snipped chives
- 4 -5 cups total of any of the following:
- Cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
- Cherry tomatoes, halved
- Regular tomatoes, chopped
- Summer squash, chopped
- Zucchini, chopped
- Green beans, blanched
- Broccoli florets, blanched
- Bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares
- Eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes and lightly sautéed in olive oil and salted
- Spinach or arugula, cut into strips
And that’s just the beginning. Add any of the following to customize your pasta salad to your tastes and appetite:
- Crushed red pepper
- 1-2 cups of fresh mozzarella, fontina, Jarlsberg or other good cheese (please, no processed cheeses – a dish this good deserves the real thing!)
- A can of drained, rinsed chickpeas, navy beans or kidney beans
- ½ cup toasted pine nuts
- 2 cups hard salami or pepperoni, cut into cubes
- 2 cups leftover cubed chicken, turkey or cooked ham
To make the pasta salad, just combine everything together in a large bowl – ideally at least a half an hour before serving to allow the flavors to blend. If you’re short on time (which always seems to be my case), just mix the vegetables together with the dressing while the pasta is cooking. When it’s done, run the pasta under cold water until cool – then mix it all together and serve.
Since this salad keeps in the fridge for several days, I like to make a double batch (using the entire 1-pound package of pasta and double the veggies). It makes great lunches during the week, either at home or from the lunchbox. And I like to have just a small amount as a healthy snack in late afternoon to tide me over until dinnertime. So if you’re still wondering what to make for dinner tonight, just look out your back door and into your garden for inspiration for your own “kitchen sink” pasta salad!
