Vegan Greek Salad Fusilli Pasta With Lime & Basil & Olives
HELPFUL TIP:
Pasta using pulses such as lentils, chickpeas and beans to produce an alternative to traditional wheat pasta has more protein, fibre than traditional pasta and is low in fat.
Pulse pastas are naturally gluten free, since they use pulse flour instead of wheat flour, however it’s always recommended to check product labels in case it’s a combination of pulse and wheat flour. Overall, it’s a nutrient dense food that can also be counted as at least one of your recommended five vegetables a day. There is a caution for those who suffer from IBS, as they are advised to consume pulse pasta in small amounts.
I enjoy having pastas made from lentils or chickpeas in room temperature, something that’s very common in the Mediterranean. The above pasta salad is an excellent example of that!
Ingredients
- 15 plum tomatoes
- 1 large red onion
- 1 cucumber preferably organic, halved lengthwise and cut into half-moon slices
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 6-8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives whole or chopped
- ½ cup whole fresh basil leaves
- 1 pound fusilli either made from chickpea or lentil flour or tri-colored or whole wheat
- 1 lime
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
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Instructions
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Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Cut the onions in half and then in slices about ⅛-inch thick. Trim the ends off the cucumber, halve lengthwise and cut into half-moon slices about ⅛-inch thick.
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and boil the pasta. Drain, toss with 3 tablespoons olive oil.
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Add the tomatoes, cucumber slices and onions to the pasta. Zest the lime and mix in the zest. Add the olives and basil leaves. Cut the lime into wedges and toss that into the pasta as well. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, toss and serve.
Want to learn more easy, healthy Mediterranean diet recipes? Sign up for my online course “Mastering the Mediterranean!“
