Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Back in 2016 I went on a solo trip to Italy and it forever changed the way I not only looked at life, sex, being naked and truly living. It changed the way I saw …

PASTA!

I grew up in a home of pasta. Pasta Sunday, pasta with peas, pasta with beans, pasta with broccoli, pasta with cauliflower, pasta with zucchini, pasta with insert any and every seasonal vegetable. As a family we ate pasta, not daily but at least twice weekly, and it was always woven with freshly prepared vegetables along with a touch of cheese. The copious amounts I overate came from my own relationship to food so, please let it be known that it was emotional and, therefore, not the pasta’s fault. Over the years in our low-carb high protein gluten sensitive society pasta has gotten a bad rap, while protein and fat have become the good old go to items to gorge… but don’t you dare touch that pasta … not the bread … nooooooo …

Would I say eat pasta in unlimited quantities … ? If you’ve eaten toast for breakfast, pizza for lunch and close in on a mondo bowl of pasta for dinner … Would I agree to that?

Likely not, although I’m human and I do respect cravings and days where you need what you need. And on the other side of this, I’m begging all of us to find balance, be mindful of what we put in our tanks and why ... and to recognize our habits.

This quick end of summer Mediterranean pasta salad is transformed with fresh tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, hand fulls of arugula, basil, lemon juice and zest. If I had artichoke hearts at home, I would have added those as well. A pasta like this makes for a great main with a salad and also works as a side with freshly grilled chicken or fish.

Using fresh pasta (that I purchase in my local grocery store) takes this meal to a whole new level, it also means you’ll never go back to the boxed stuff. But, if you do need to go boxed … it’s Barilla or DeCecco all the way for this woman.

The below served many folks at an end of summer backyard birthday bash and should go as far as a meal for 6-8. Pair with a green salad speckled with beans or roasted seasonal vegetables. You can also top this pasta with grilled chicken for a one meal, quite filling, dinner time win.

Get in the kitchen!

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

1 pound of fresh pasta, I love Sapori del Vallo and here I use their fresh fusilli which looks nothing like boxed fusilli fyi …
1 10 oz bag of pre-washed arugula or the equivalent
1 pint of grape tomatoes, sliced in half *I like to get the heirloom/multicolored tomatoes
½ cup of sundried tomatoes (not in oil), thinly sliced
Zest + Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
8 oz of fresh mozzarella, cubed
⅓ cup of pecorino cheese, grated
Salt + freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup of fresh basil, chiffonade aka, cut into ribbons *optional, but so necessary for me

Boil pasta according to instructions, drain, quickly rinse with cold water and put aside in a large bowl
While pasta is still warm, fold in arugula
Add tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, lemon zest, juice, extra virgin olive oil, mozzarella and a dash of salt
Finish by tossing with pecorino, basil and top with freshly ground black pepper

tina corradoSeptember 23, 2019