Summer Pasta Salad

Whether you’re in recovery for an eating disorder following a meal plan, or just have a busy schedule and are looking for some structure and ease, a little meal planning and food prepping goes a long way. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of cooking and storing away stacks and stacks of made-ahead meals. Not only does that get super boring after day 2, but it leaves no room for variety or for honoring your taste buds. But, I do believe that having some food prepped and ready to go makes our lives much easier.

Making peace with food and eating disorder recovery does require getting out of your comfort zone daily with food, but ideally we also want to minimize any unnecessary stress around food and mealtimes. This is where it can be helpful to give some thought to what you’ll eat for meals and snacks going into the week and have a couple of things prepped and ready to go for when you just don’t have the brain space or mental energy to plan out and cook a meal.

I’m a big fan of “bowl” type meals, or grain salads, where all of the components of a meal can be included in one. I find these types of meals to be easily customizable and interchangeable with whatever foods I have around and they keep really well in the refrigerator for a few days. This way, I can take out servings as needed throughout the week. Bonus- they can be eaten cold straight out of the fridge, or warmed up- your choice! I think both are equally tasty.

Full confession time- I had it in my mind that I really wanted to make a summer orzo salad for this recipe. I love the texture of orzo. It’s like rice but a little chewier, and it goes so well in salads and mixed dishes. Well, fast forward to me at the grocery store buying my ingredients and there’s no orzo to be found anywhere in the pasta aisle. I wasn’t willing to drive all the way to another store on my way home, so this recipe quickly changed into a summer pasta salad instead. Here’s to being flexible with food!

This is a great way to incorporate pasta into your meals if pasta is a fear food for you.  What makes this a complete meal is the inclusion of all of the macronutrients- carbs, proteins, and fats- plus the addition of veggies for some color, fiber, and added nutrients. Many veggies would work well in this recipe. You can use whatever you have on hand or whichever ones suit your preferences. Here are some of my favorite veggie add-ins:

• Zucchini

• Cucumber

• Cherry tomatoes

• Red onion

• Arugula or baby spinach

• Bell pepper

• Cooked artichoke hearts

The pasta is our grain (carbohydrate) here. Remember that we need carbohydrates for energy and proper metabolic functioning. For fats, I like to add olives and feta cheese. They add a wonderful salty, briny flavor. We’ll also tie the whole dish together with an oil based dressing. Fats improve mouthfeel and make the flavors of each ingredient really shine. They also contribute to fullness and satiety. For proteins, I’m using shrimp because they cook really quickly and they sounded good to me today. You could also use grilled chicken thighs or breasts, or a store-bought shredded rotisserie chicken. Canned chickpeas or white beans are a great vegetarian protein option. Just drain and rinse them before adding them into the dish.

If you’re following a meal plan from a dietitian, sometimes mixed dishes like this can make it difficult to tell if you’re getting enough of each food group at that meal. We don’t want to risk going too light on the pasta and too heavy on the veggies/protein and potentially missing out. For that, I’d say portion out each component on a standard dinner plate according to the requirements of your meal plan, and then mix them all together with the dressing. It might look something like this:

Now let’s get cooking! Start by cooking your pasta according to package directions. I’m using fusilli, but I think bowtie or cavatappi would also work well here. While the pasta is cooking, chop your veggies and any other add-ins into bite-sized pieces. This is a great opportunity to practice your knife skills!

Once your pasta is cooked and drained, and your veggies are chopped to your liking, make the dressing. I’m making my own today, but you can absolutely use any store-bought dressing you like. Balsamic vinaigrette, Italian, or Greek dressings would all fit nicely here. Just make sure you’re using the full-fat, regular kind. No light or diet dressings here! We want all of those yummy fats in this dish.

Pro-tip: Using some pre-made ingredients, like pre-cooked proteins, store bought dressing, or even pre-cut veggies can save you a lot of time if you’re busy, stressed, or just don’t feel like dirtying a lot of dishes. The food will be just as tasty and nutritious!

Once you’ve got your dressing, add all of your ingredients in a large bowl, pour in the dressing, and mix. Done! You can serve it immediately while the pasta is still slightly warm, or you can make it ahead of time and let it chill in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat. This pasta salad will stay good in the fridge for about 5-7 days.

As you can see, it makes a large serving. I cooked the entire 1lb box of pasta and my veggies were big so when chopped and combined it all added up quickly. If you’re cooking for one or two, or just don’t want that much at one time, just cut the recipe in half and adjust the amount of dressing to your liking. This meal is delicious served chilled on a hot summer day and so convenient to just take out a serving whenever you’re in need of a complete meal. Keep scrolling for the full recipe below with the ingredients I used today. Happy eating!

Summer Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1lb pasta of your choice (fusilli, cavatappi, bowtie, etc.)

1 English cucumber, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

A couple handfuls baby spinach, roughly chopped

¼ cup olives, halved

¼ cup marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped

¼-½ cup feta cheese

Cooked protein of choice (chicken breasts or thighs, shrimp, canned chickpeas or white beans)

For the dressing:

¼ cup olive oil

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp Dijon mustard

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp Italian herb seasoning or Herbes de Provence

Pinch red pepper flakes

Salt & pepper to taste

OR

½ cup store-bought dressing of choice

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, or until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, prepare and chop the vegetables.

Drain the pasta and toss with a little olive oil to prevent it from clumping together.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, herbs, red pepper flakes, salt, & pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the pasta, chopped veggies, and feta cheese. Pour on the dressing and toss to coat. Season to taste with a little more salt, pepper, feta, or olive oil as desired.

Serve immediately or chill covered in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.