Lunch To Go: This pasta salad will satisfy all your carbohydrate cravings 

Experiment with flavour combinations but always include something with a sour note. 

As the temperature drops and the rain falls, my mind turns to one thing: pasta. Forget your gluggy, mayonnaise-sodden pasta salads of old, my fridge clear-out pasta satisfies all my carbohydrate cravings and is the best antidote to a tough day at the office.

Use whatever vegetables you like the most and omit the meat if you are vegetarian. Look for crunchy, texture-rich additions to your salad, like mini peppers, chopped celery and finely shaved fennel and courgette. There are fantastic vegan cheeses on the market, so go wild with your favourite as an alternative to bocconcini and Parmesan.

There is one rule to a perfect pasta salad, and that is to include one ‘sour’ ingredient. Look to olives, capers or even home-pickled onions to add a flavour note that will elevate your pasta salad from blah to bling.

Fridge Clear-Out Pasta Salad

There is one rule to a perfect pasta salad, and that is to include one ‘sour’ ingredient. Look to olives, capers or even home-pickled onions to add a flavour note that will elevate your pasta salad from blah to bling.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Italian

Ingredients

• 200g pasta shapes, cooked according to packet instructions in boiling salted water

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp fresh basil pesto

• 1 tsp red wine vinegar

• Salt and pepper

• 8 slices of salami or cooked meat of your choice (salmon or tuna would also work)

• 2 tbsp Kalamata olives, de-stoned and sliced

• 1 cucumber, chopped into bite-sized pieces

• ½ head broccoli, chopped into small pieces

• 8 bocconcini, sliced into quarters

• 25g Parmesan, finely grated

Method

1. Once your pasta has cooked, drain and dress with the olive oil, pesto, vinegar and salt and pepper and allow to cool.

2. Stir in the vegetables, olives, bocconcini and Parmesan, give a good stir and store in the fridge for up to three days, decanting into single-serve containers as needed.

3. Serve at room temperature in order to allow the flavours to mingle and develop.

These ready meals from the Happy Pear are a nutritious route to a satisfied lunch 

Shelf Life

If cooking is a bridge too far for you this week, then consider a Noodle Bowl from The Happy Pear for your heat-to-eat carb fix. Delivering two portions of vegetables in each bowl, they come in two flavours – Sticky Soy and Tasty Thai and taste great – especially when paired with some chopped cucumber and spring onion. 

Available at Centra stores and SuperValu nationwide, the bowls come in at under 400kcal each and cost €5.25. I top mine with a fried egg or some nuts and seeds for an extra punch of protein, but all in, they’re a great option for someone who is dining al desko and needs something nutritious to fuel their day.