Lemon Basil Pasta Salad

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dry pasta
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chickpeas
1 cucumber
1 carrot
1 lemon
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 oz. chopped fresh basil
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in a large bowl.
2. While the pasta is cooking, open the cans of diced tomatoes and chickpeas and drain the liquid.
3. Add the drained tomatoes and chickpeas to the bowl of pasta.
4. Cut the cucumber into bite-size pieces, shred the carrot, and chop the walnuts. Add to bowl.
5. If you have a grater, use that to get the zest of the lemon (the outer part of the peel). Otherwise, you can use a small knife or a potato peeler to cut thin pieces of lemon peel and then chop it as small as possible. Add lemon zest to bowl.
6. Roll the lemon on the top of the counter to soften it as much as possible to make it easier to squeeze the juice. Cut it in half and squeeze as much juice as possible from both halves into a small separate bowl. Remove any seeds and add to the bowl of pasta.
7. Add salt and pepper, as well as any other desired spices, and mix everything well.
8. Chop the basil into small pieces and mix into salad.
9. Add 2 Tbsp. of olive oil or other vegetable oil and mix well.

 

SPECIAL CARROT TIPS

• This is an extremely customizable recipe! You could also add diced chicken, feta or parmesan cheese, diced bell pepper, olives, sauteed squash, red onion, fresh peas, garlic, and any other spices you like.
• Double the amount of pasta called for in the recipe to make this a sharable dish for summer get-togethers!
• You can also make substitutions to this recipe – use sunflower seeds instead of walnuts, fresh tomatoes instead of canned, or ½ cup of dry rice instead of pasta.

• Back