Whole Wheat Pasta Salad
Pasta salads don’t have to be overcooked noodles coated in cloying mayonnaise dressings studded with cold cuts and cheese cubes. Whole wheat pasta holds up well on the picnic table and its nuttiness can be accentuated with actual nuts and brightened by herbs, lemon and the sweetness of raisins!
Whole Wheat Pasta Salad
- 3/4 pound whole wheat farfalle
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup peppermint, stemmed and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 2 lemons, juiced and zested
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup roasted pecans
- salt, sugar and freshly ground black pepper
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the farfalle until tender, then drain and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Reserve a few tablespoons of the parsley for garnish, then puree with the peppermint, garlic, lemon juice and zest in a blender, then slowly add the olive oil to combine into a dressing. Season to taste with salt, sugar and pepper.
- Toss the pasta, raisins and roasted pecans with the prepared dressing and sprinkle with reserved chopped parsley.
This looks delicious and very healthy. I love using whole wheat pasta- better taste and much healthier.
Thank you. I prefer it for its nutrition… but the flavor of non-whole wheat is definitely more versatile (I guess because it has less flavor it can go with anything!) Whole wheat is happier with bolder pairings, but who’s going to turn down more flavor?