Casual barbecues and picnic dates rule the social calendar at this time of year; this picnic pasta salad is the perfect throw together dish for these informal gatherings. Picnics require dishes that travel well, don’t need reheating and that appeal to multiple generations. I find that pasta salads tick all of these boxes. I make this salad often based on what’s at hand during the summer months, highlighting the best of the gorgeous summer produce.
Each year, we plant multiple tomato plants in the garden and the cherry tomatoes are always the first to ripen. The cherry tomatoes are my decoy plant to keep the Canadian happy while he toils away in the garden. I often wonder how many more we would have if he didn’t eat as he picked… But for those of you who don’t have tomato plants in the garden, punnets of cherry tomatoes are cheap and plentiful in the supermarkets right now. They make a beautiful and colourful addition to the salad. When halved, the cherry tomatoes juices add a natural sweetness and act as a little dressing.
The pasta shape is not of particular importance but you want one robust enough to hold its shape and some dressing. Penne works well as does macaroni if that’s all you have; I’ve used spirals to great success as well. Long thin pastas such as spaghetti or fettuccini are simply not going to do the job, so its best stick to a short or tubular pastas. If you are serving this picnic pasta salad to coeliacs, opt for a delicious gluten-free pasta. There are many different types of gluten-free pasta on the market, so get creative! If you are serving this to vegetarians – increase the vegetables and simply don’t add the chicken. This salad is designed to be flexible so take the opportunity to swap ingredients in and out as you need. Let me know what beautiful combinations you’ve created!
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked pasta
- 1 1/2 cup cooked chicken, chopped
- 200gm cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 2x spring onions, sliced
- 1 handful chopped fresh herbs, I like coriander and chives
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup of your chosen dressing
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds
Instructions
In a large bowl, throw everything together (minus the dressing) and toss. Just before serving, drizzle over your chosen dressing, hemp seeds and serve.
