Description
A refreshing gluten-free spinach pasta salad, perfect for warm weather gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 ounces bow-tie whole grain pasta or gluten-free pasta
- 12 cups organic baby spinach
- 1 pint tri-colored grape tomatoes, sliced in halves
- 1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
- 1 cup pickled red onions or raw red onions, sliced
- 1 zucchini, spiralized or cut into coins and halved
- 1 crown broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/21/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/41/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook Pasta & Cool: Start by boiling the pasta in a large pot of salted water until it is al dente, which should take about 8-10 minutes. You should feel a slight bite when you taste it. After draining, rinse it under cold water to bring down the temperature quickly and prevent stickiness. This step is essential to keep your pasta from getting mushy.
- Blanch Veggies Briefly: Throw your broccoli into the boiling water for a quick minute then remove it and plunge it into ice water to stop cooking. This process brightens the color and keeps the crunch, so do not let it get too soft.
- Mix Ingredients Gently: In a large bowl, toss together the cooled pasta, blanched broccoli, and fresh spinach leaves until everything is well mixed. You want to see those colorful greens shining through. Be gentle to maintain some texture; over-mixing can turn it into a mushy mess.
- Make the Dressing: Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper until it is nicely blended. The dressing is ready when it is smooth and drizzles easily, adding a pop of brightness to the salad. Start with a light hand on the salt, and adjust to taste later.
- Dress Just Before Serving: Right before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad and give it a light toss to coat everything evenly. Dressing the salad too early may result in sogginess. For best enjoyment, keep it fresh and crisp.
Notes
- Storage Tips: Store salad without dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Dress before serving to prevent sogginess.
- Expert Tips: Adding an extra tablespoon of lemon juice or a pinch of salt can brighten flavors if the salad seems bland.
- Adding a tablespoon of salt to the boiling water can enhance the pasta’s taste.
- If prepped in advance, store the dressing separately to keep the salad fresh until serving time.
- If broccoli is not tender enough, blanch it in boiling water with the pasta for about 2 minutes before rinsing.
- Rinsing pasta under cold water after cooking helps cool it quickly.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 227
- Sugar: 13g
- Sodium: 149mg
- Fat: 1g
- Saturated Fat: 0.2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 48g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 9g
- Cholesterol: 0mg