With summer almost here, we’ve been shifting the type of food we’re eating to lighter, fresher dishes. It’s what our clients have been craving on their weekly menus too, so we’re creating more salads filled with crispy, raw veggies, fresh herbs, and flavorful dressings.
Inspired by the traditional Greek salad, we’ve taken cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, olives, red onion and dill and paired them with gluten free pasta and a creamy tahini lemon dressing. Tahini is such a great way to make pasta salad dairy free and you’ll even get some extra calcium and protein from this paste made from crushed sesame seeds.
Unlike some pasta salads, we do recommend eating this one the day it’s made because we often find that gluten free pastas dry out a bit when stored overnight in the fridge. You can always add some more extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice to spruce up the pasta though, if you do end up with leftovers.
Gluten Free Greek Pasta Salad
2 to 3 servings of gluten free pasta of choice (fusilli)
1 English cucumber, diced
1/2 a pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced
3 Tbsp dill, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, diced
Dressing:
2 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 lemon, juiced (around 1/4 cup)
2 Tbsp water
sea salt to taste
Directions:
1. Prepare the pasta according to the directions on the package.
2. While the pasta is cooking, rinse off the veggies and chop them. If you don’t love red onion, we recommend slicing it in large pieces so it’s easy to avoid eating it (but then you’ll still get the flavor of onion to season the pasta salad).
3. Stir together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Adjust seasoning as needed. You can always wait to taste test once you combine the dressing with the vegetables and add more sea salt or lemon at that point, if needed.
4. Once the pasta is ready, cool down under cold water and drain as much of the liquid as possible through a colander. Toss the cooked pasta together with the vegetables in a mixing bowl. Add in the tahini sauce and toss all together. Feel free to add more lemon, sea salt, extra virgin olive oil or even more dill if you like.
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