QUICK FIX
What’s cooking today: Leftover pasta salad
The leftover aspect of this is twofold: first, don’t discard the bits and pieces of pasta at the bottom of a packet, and second, don’t chuck out that leftover cooked pasta.
As you can see in the photo, two or more pasta shapes make a pasta salad look pretty good. It’s only an aesthetic, but what pleases the eye pleases the soul, so why not…
I find there is often some pasta left over in a packet, and more in another. There’s no reason not to mix them up in, say, a cheesy bake or a salad.
In this instance, I had leftover penne rigate and farfalle (bowties, if you prefer). I cooked them until al dente, drained and drizzled with a little oil and refrigerated them. Next day, I turned the pasta into a simple salad, perfect weeknight fare for a wallet-squeezed month such as January.
There’s no need to have a precise recipe, as recipes like these should be adapted according to what you have in the crisper, just something along the following lines…
Ingredients
Leftover pasta such as farfalle, spirals, penne, macaroni, etc
Crisp, fresh salad ingredients such as cucumber, green and red bell peppers, spring onions, chillies, small roma tomatoes, red onion, celery
Avocado or olive oil
Lemon or lime juice
A splash of soy sauce
A little prepared mustard
Fresh garlic and/or ginger, finely grated or chopped
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Method
Cook pasta till al dente, drain, and toss in a little oil (avocado or olive). Refrigerate.
Chop all your chosen ingredients finely. Pour oil and lemon or lime juice into a salad bowl, stir in soy sauce and mustard, add chopped garlic, ginger and chilli if using, season and stir.
Add all the vegetables, toss for the dressing to coat everything, and finally, toss through the chilled pasta. DM/TGIFood
Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks.
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