For brunch, we always prefer a meal that’s neither light or heavy. Some people might find a green salad too light but a pasta dish too heavy. Combine these two dishes and you’ll have the perfect brunch meal – one that would satisfy your appetite just right!
Quick and Healthy Pasta Salad Recipes For Your Next Brunch
Here are 3 quick and healthy pasta recipes perfect for brunch:
Italian-Style Cold Pasta Salad
What you need:
10 cherry tomatoes
2 cucumbers, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 3/4 cups rotini pasta
1 cup Italian-style salad dressing
3/4 cup pitted black olives, sliced
Cook rotini pasta to al dente in a large pot of lightly salted water according to package instructions. Drain pasta in a colander and place under cool running water in the sink to cool. When ready, mix together rotini pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, black olives and Italian-style salad dressing in a large salad bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
Delicious Mac-Tuna Salad
What you need:
3 cups macaroni
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 can tuna, drained
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup Italian-style salad dressing
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Cook macaroni to al dente according to package instructions. Drain and place in a large salad bowl along with Italian-style salad dressing. Stir to coat pasta with dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When ready, add celery, onion, tuna, mayonnaise, sour cream, salt, garlic powder and black pepper to the bowl. Mix ingredients well. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
BLT Delight
What you need:
1/2 kilogram sliced bacon
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups medium seashell pasta
1 1/2 cups light Ranch-style salad dressing
Cook seashell pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Drain, rinse under cool running water then set aside. In a skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until brown and crispy. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels. Mix together tomatoes, onion and Ranch-style salad dressing in a large salad bowl. Add cooked and pasta to the bowl and mix to coat with dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to overnight. Crumble bacon over pasta salad before serving.
If you want to enjoy a quick yet healthy pasta salad for your next brunch, any of these recipes will surely get your approval!
Adrian T. Cheng is a food blogger who promotes healthy eating. He has written numerous posts and articles about natural herbs and spices, shared countless of delicious and healthy recipes and reviewed kitchen accessories that are affordable yet of quality. You can view Adrian’s posts about going green and other nutrition tips and tricks [http://www.kuisiware.com/] on his page
