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Chopped Italian Pasta Shaker Salad

Chopped Italian Pasta Shaker Salad

Healthy Recipes

Overview

Meal: Lunch   
Dietary Type: Vegetarian 
Prep Time: 15 minutes 
Cook Time: 8-10 minutes 
Serves: 2



The Dish
This is the perfect, easy lunch. A filling salad, loaded with veggies, and "unloaded" of difficulty and meal-prepping stress. 

Whole wheat pasta (which can be cooked a day or two ahead of time) is tossed with lettuce, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, peppers, and artichokes. The great thing here is that you’re not limited to just these veggies. If you have some other Italian favorites, feel free to have them join the party too (like mushrooms, peas, zucchini, etc.). What makes this a shaker salad is that the dressing and the salad all come together in a shakable sealable container (we like large mason jars or extra takeout containers). It’s actually a lot of fun to shake this salad all together. 

Ingredients
8oz (226g) whole wheat pasta (like penne, ziti, farfalle, etc.)
1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped 
1/2 cup (120g) sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup (60g) kalamata olives  
1/4 cup (60g) cucumbers, diced 
4 each jarred pepperoncini peppers, seeded and sliced 
4 each jarred artichoke hearts, sliced 

Salad Dressing
2 tablespoons (2g) parmesan, grated
4 tablespoons (60ml) olive oil
2 tablespoons (30ml) red wine vinegar 
2 teaspoons (10ml) honey 
1/2 teaspoon (.5g) Italian seasoning 
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic 

Preparation 

  • Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. 
  • While the pasta is cooking, prep your veggies (lettuce, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, peppers, and artichokes). Once the pasta is tender, drain and rinse under cold water. 
  • Place oil, vinegar, honey, Italian seasoning, and granulated garlic in a large sealable container. Shake to combine the dressing. 
  • Fill the container with the remaining ingredients (veggies and pasta) and shake to coat and combine. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. 
  • Sprinkle salad with grated parmesan right before eating. 

Vegetarian and Vegan Modifications: Substitute the parmesan in this recipe for your favorite vegan cheese alternative, in this case maybe nutritional yeast! 

Gluten-Free Modifications: Replace the whole wheat noodles in this recipe with a gluten-free variety.