Fresh Summer Veggie & Pasta Salad

Cooking with your Grandkids can be fun!
Summer pool gatherings and BBQs are often full of less-than-nutritious food. Try sharing this delicious pasta salad that is easy to prepare and tastes as fresh as it sounds! It packs several highly nutritious vegetables and can efficiently serve as a full plant-based meal, especially if you choose to add one or more of the optional ingredients. Asparagus packs many vitamins, including A, B, C, E, and K as well fiber, folate, potassium, chromium, and essential minerals.

By Jaclyn Albin, MD, FAAP, FACP
Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics

 Ingredients:

16 oz pasta (any kind)
1 English cucumber
1 bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange)
1-pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 bunch (approx. 8-10 oz) asparagus
1 small bunch fresh basil
6 oz feta cheese, crumbled
6 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lime juice (juice from 1 lime)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Boil water for pasta and cook according to package directions, al dente style.
2. While pasta is cooking, dice cucumber and bell pepper into bite-sized pieces. Cut tomatoes in half. Cut asparagus into 1 inch segments.
3. After pasta is finished, add 4 tbsps. olive oil, salt, and pepper.
4. After pasta cools, combine with raw veggies, add 2 tsp lime juice and 2 tbsp olive oil.
5. Mix in feta cheese and optional additions, if using.
6. Serve chilled.

Enjoy!