With the good weather comes more opportunities to enjoy a bit of al fresco dinning. Whether it’s a picnic in the park or a packed lunch on the beach the key is something fresh, easy and light and a pasta salad definitely fits the bill!
PrintMediterranean Pasta Salad with Piquillo Pepper Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Cuisine: Pasta & Pulses|Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 250g pasta
- 1 can (250g) of piquillo peppers or similar roasted peppers
- 1 clove garlic clove (chopped)
- 1tsp paprika
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 5 buttom mushrooms
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 150g of queso fresco or feta cheese
- 1 carrot
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp pesto
- 50g seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, pine nuts)
- 1 tsp oregano
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Put 1 tbsp of olive oil into a frying pan and fry the chopped garlic. When the garlic starts to colour, add the piquillo peppers and the paprika and stir for a couple of minutes.
- Remove your mixture from the pan and add to it 3 tbsp of mayonnaise. Blend using a hand blender or food processor until you get a smooth sauce. Add salt to taste and set aside.
- Cook your pasta for about 4-5 minutes and then drain and rinse under cold water. Leave to cool in a colander so that any excess water drains off.
- Slice your avocado, carrots and button mushrooms. We used a peeler to make our carrot strands but you can obviously cut these in another way if you prefer. Cut your cherry tomatoes in half and dice the cheese into small cubes. We used queso fresco which is a soft, creamy white Spanish cheese but you could equally substitute with something like Feta if this is easier for you to find.
- When your pasta is cold, add to a mixing bowl and dress it with the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil, the vinegar and the pesto. Mix together well.
- Add your chopped vegetables and the cheese and mix again.
- Garnish with the piquillo pepper sauce, oregano and seeds and serve.
