If there’s something you should know about me, it’s that I love to cook food, whether it is for myself or others. I feel that food unites people together and brings conversations to the table. There’s something therapeutic about cutting vegetables, patiently waiting for the water to boil or the sound of oil frying something. In fact, I am launching a food account very soon to share my recipes and local restaurants/cafes around the Norfolk and Virginia Beach area! I want to show everyone that cooking is not hard and is very inexpensive.
This recipe is something I came up with randomly. It was last summer in Norfolk, I was bored in the house and wanted to make something new. I get so used to the same old kale salad every Sunday that I wanted to be innovative with my cooking. The beauty of salads is that you can adjust it to your tastes. This is such an easy and inexpensive recipe that any college kid can make and can last long in the fridge.
Here’s my summer pasta salad recipe!
Serves 4 & can be used as a meal prep for three-to-four days.
Ingredients:
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2 cups of rotini pasta (can be multi-colored or the yellow one)
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A handful of cilantro or parsley
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1 cup of both red and orange bell peppers
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½ of a cup red onion
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1 cup of crumbled feta cheese
Dressing: (You can adjust to your taste)
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⅓ of a cup red wine vinegar
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⅓ of a cup olive oil
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Generous amount of Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powder
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Half of a lemon
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Salt and pepper to taste
Recipe:
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In a big pot of water, put about one spoonful of salt and wait for the water to boil on high heat. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium, put the two cups of rotini pasta in the boil pot and stir occasionally for 7-10 minutes (or until pasta becomes chewy to eat.)
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While the pasta is boiling, wash and dry your herbs and peppers. Once dried, minced the cilantro or parsley, dice the onion and red and orange bell peppers. Leave aside.
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In a big salad mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dressing. Adjust the salt and pepper to your liking, but be careful to not add too much salt.
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After the pasta is done, drain the water. In a strainer, run the pasta under cool water. Let the pasta dry for a few minutes, making sure most of the water is drained.
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Once pasta is dried, put it in the mixing bowl along where your dressing is. Then, add in your chopped herbs, bell peppers, red onion and crumbled feta. Mix everything thoroughly and serve on a plate.
Enjoy!
Good luck, babes.