Kinda Quick Pasta Salad

This salad is really easy and kinda quick to make. I say it’s “kinda” quick because you should only eat it after it’s been chilled for about 2 hours or more.

I wanted to make something healthier to eat, what with all the pork and lard and heaven knows what I’ve been putting in my mouth. After thinking for a while, I had a light bulb moment.

Here are the ingredients that you need:


#1 – Any kind of short pasta. For this recipe, I use Fusilli. I love all kinds of spiral or helix shaped pastas cause they trap sauces so well!


#2 – Mixed vegetables. Easy, fast way to getting your fibres and vitamins.


#3 – Apple cider vinegar. You can also use balsamic vinegar or malt vinegar or even chinese white vinegar. You can substitute with lemon/lime juice too if it’s available. As long as it’s tart, I’m not too fussy and you shouldn’t too.


#4 – Any kind of salt for taste. I’m using Himalayan Rock Salt because I’m a natrium snob.


#5 – Dried Italian herbs. Or any type you like as long as they’re not the sweet-ish kind like star anise, cinnamon etc.


#6 – Olive oil.

Now lets start!

It’s important to make the dressing first because you need to infuse the oil with the flavours of the ingredients.


#7 – Pour olive oil into a bowl. Add vinegar, salt and Italian herbs.


#8 – Whisk or beat till properly mixed. Do taste as you go because you wouldn’t know whether you need more salt, vinegar or herbs. If you’re too heavy handed, you can always add olive oil to dilute the taste. Leave the dressing to stand.


#9 – Now boil the mixed vegetables and pasta. Yes, you can certainly separately cook the pasta and mixed vegetable (because they both have different cooking time). Take the trouble to even steam the vegetables if you want. But I generally don’t care. I cook with as few cookware as I possibly can BECAUSE I HATE WASHING DISHES.


#10 – When the vegetable and pasta are cooked, drain the water. Give the dressing another whisk and pour it all over the pasta/vegetables. Leave it to cool for a while before you stick it in the fridge. Why? Because you don’t want your fridge to work harder to cool down hot food, that’s why.


#11 – After 2 hours, you can have chilled, tart, absolutely divine pasta salad. Yum yum.

Of course, if it’s too troublesome, just buy a bottle of french dressing :P