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Green pasta salad with edible flowers

A beautiful, healthy, fresh and tasty pasta salad that family and friends will love! Serve as a light lunch or a side dish. Perfect for Mother's Day and other spring/summer occasions.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 475 kcal
Course: Main Course , Salad
Cuisine: Mediterranean , Italian

Ingredients

  • 360 g fusilli pasta (12-13oz) or other short pasta
  • 100 g baby spinach leaves (3.5oz)
  • 2-3 spring onions
  • 1 handful fresh parsley
  • 1-2 sprigs fresh mint
  • 1 sprig fresh marjoram
  • 50 g pine nuts (2oz) toasted
  • 50 g Parmigiano cheese flakes (leave out for vegan version. Strict vegetarians should use a vegetarian cheese)
  • extra virgin olive oil as required
  • salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste
  • Edible Flowers as required

Instructions

Prepare the pasta and spring onions
    Cup of Yum
  1. Clean the spring onion and remove ⅔ of the green part. Bring plenty of water to a boil in a pot, add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again.
  2. Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet. 5 minutes before the pasta is cooked, add the spring onion to the pot. 
  3. Save a little of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta and spring onion. Cool them under cold running water. Put the pasta into a bowl and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix well
Make the sauce
  1. While you are waiting for the pasta water to boil and the pasta to cook, wash and dry the parsley, marjoram and mint. Wash and dry the spinach leaves. Toast the pine nuts in a non-stick frying pan, for 1-2 minutes.
  2. Put the herbs and half the spinach leaves into a blender with some olive oil and pulse a few times. Add the blanched spring onion and a little more oil and pulse again. Add half the toasted pine nuts and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse again. If the sauce seems dry add some more olive oil or a dash of the pasta cooking water.
Make the salad
  1. Add the sauce to the pasta and mix. Add the remaining pine nuts to the pasta with the remaining spinach leaves and the thinly sliced Parmesan cheese flakes.Mix the cold pasta and sauce with the pine nuts, spinach and cheese and serve decorated with edible flowers if you have them..

Notes

  • To make this salad vegan/vegetarian just leave out the cheese flakes or use a vegan/vegetarian cheese.

Nutrition Information

Calories 475kcal (24%) Carbohydrates 71g (24%) Protein 19g (38%) Fat 13g (20%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Polyunsaturated Fat 5g Monounsaturated Fat 3g Cholesterol 9mg (3%) Sodium 227mg (9%) Potassium 451mg (13%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 2616IU (52%) Vitamin C 10mg (11%) Calcium 200mg (20%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 475

% Daily Value*

Calories 475kcal 24%
Carbohydrates 71g 24%
Protein 19g 38%
Fat 13g 20%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Polyunsaturated Fat 5g 29%
Monounsaturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 9mg 3%
Sodium 227mg 9%
Potassium 451mg 10%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 3g 6%
Vitamin A 2616IU 52%
Vitamin C 10mg 11%
Calcium 200mg 20%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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