Pasta Salad with Olives and Veggies

Sometimes you need an easy go-to recipe to serve on those hot hot hot summer nights when you just don't feel like doing any real cooking. Pasta (gluten free of course) salad seems to be that recipe for me.

This Mediterranean style salad is flavorful, fragrant and can be made in advance. We enjoy it paired with  cold soup  or cheese and ( GF) crackers.

Since the salad contains carbs, protein, and lots of veggies, you could actually eat it as your entree. Although I added crumbled feta cheese, omit it to make this a vegan salad.

Omit the cheese if you are vegan

I used red peppers, red onions, olives, fresh basil, tomatoes, celery, scallions, cucumbers, and feta cheese , but feel free to add or substitute any vegetable that you prefer like peas, carrots, radishes, capers, chopped raw broccoli, raw sliced mushrooms, marinated artichokes etc.

Because this recipe can be served at room temperature, it's a great recipe to bring to a pot luck dinner or BBQ-

If you make your pasta in advance, then the prep is just like making a simple salad!

I toss the salad with homemade Italian dressing or try my bold lemon dressing and it is absolutely delcious . 

Where do I get my gluten free pasta? 

 Trader Joe's and Aldi's carry a variety of gluten free pastas at very reasonable prices. 

I recently started shopping in Aldi's and was pleasantly surprised to find a huge selection of gluten free items ( breads, wraps, crackers, snacks made from decent ingredients) Aldi's also has many organic packaged products and produce.

If you want to cut back on the carbs in this recipe, omit the pasta and substitute florettes of lightly cooked cauliflower.

Enjoy!


Author: Judee Algazi @ Gluten Free A-Z Blog
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes to cut up vegetables
Cook Time: 25 minutes to cook and drain GF pasta
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients: 

12 ounces of uncooked GF pasta, boiled and drained
1 cup of chopped tomatoes
1 cup of sliced cucumbers
1/2 cup of diced celery
1/2 cup pitted Greek olives , chopped
1/4 cup of chopped scallions
1/3 cup of diced red onions
1/4 cup of freshly chopped basil
1/2 cup of diced red peppers
3/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese
Optional: top with slices of avocado

Directions: 
Cook and drain GF pasta according to package directions.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the list of the ingredients with the pasta.
Toss with 1/4 of Italian dressing or my bold lemon dressing.
Taste best served at room temperature.

Linked to : Souper Sunday ( soup, salad, sandwich blog carnival) and Weekend Cooking at Beth Fish 

These are great cutting boards because they are so lightweight, I even take them with me when I travel.  I love having color coded cutting boards. These are light yet durable and store easily. Also BPA free
Premium 4 Piece Cutting Board Set with Stand - Dishwasher Safe - Color Coded - Microban - BPA FREE

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