Today has been a lovely and properly sunny day here in Edinburgh. It has given me chance to take my yoga mat at the park and have a full hour of practice on the grass. It was lovely - and I was back just on time to whisk together this simple and refreshing lunch.
In the lead up to the summer season (fingers crossed for Scotland!) I always tend to shy away from those staple lunches I am so fond of during the colder months. I am very partial to all kinds of soups during the winter period - I usually batch make them at the weekend and re-heat them in the office. When the weather gets warmer, however I am not too keen on eating hot food for lunch, so today I have opted for this tried & tested pasta salad. Growing up, my Mum often used to make a version with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and lots and lots of oregano. She would make it the night before and then store in the fridge in a massive Tupperware box, which we would then take along to our trips to the lakes. This is my own version with a Mediterranean flair.
Yields 2 portions
Ingredients:
- 160g of wholewheat pasta (or 200g for 2 larger portions)
- a handful cherry tomatoes (or plum tomatoes - I used a mix of varieties)
- 1 can of tuna in water
- 1/2 pack of feta or salad cheese
- 8-9 green olives (whatever variety you prefer)
- salt & pepper to taste
- a handful rock sea salt (to cook the pasta)
- a pinch of dried thyme
- a pinch of dried oregano
- olive oil to drizzle
- a few leaves of fresh basil (OPTIONAL)
Method:
Place a large saucepan of water on the heat and boil. Once the water is boiling, add some rock sea salt and the pasta. Cook the pasta for 10 min.
Whilst the pasta is cooking, you can prepare the salad ingredients. Cut the feta cheese in 1.5 cm cubes; cut the tomatoes in half; drain the tuna and place aside.
Combine these ingredients in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil. Mix and set aside.
Once the pasta is cook, drain well and place in a bowl to cool. You will need to let the pasta cool completely before adding it to the other ingredients otherwise your cheese might melt. For this reason, you could also make the pasta well ahead or re-use some leftover pasta if you happen to have some.
Once the pasta is cool, add it to the ingredients bowl and toss together with some olive oil and the spices. I would suggest to taste before adding extra salt as it might not need it at all - it depends on your personal taste.
Serve with some fresh basil leaves for extra freshness.
Some extra tips
In order to really get an extra chilled pasta salad, I would suggest to prepare it the night before and place it in the fridge, in a closed plastic container. This will ensure your salad is really refreshing! If placing in the fridge overnight, remember that the structure will tighten so I would advise adding a little extra drizzle of olive oil before serving and mixing it well to separate the ingredients.
If you end up giving this recipe a go, I would love to see a snap of it. Simply tag @giadasplate on Instagram or send me a DM.
Happy cooking & buon appetito!
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