Mediterranean wholewheat pasta salad with rocket

Mediterranean wholewheat pasta salad with rocket: a hearty salad with sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, hard cheese, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

At a glance

• Serves 4
• Prep time: 15 min
• Cooking time: 10 min
• Total time: 25 min
• Calories: 380 kcal per serving
• Protein: 12 g
• Fat: 16 g
• Carbs: 45 g

Ingredients

• 250 g wholewheat pasta
• 100 g rocket
• 50 g sun-dried tomatoes (dry-packed or in olive oil)
• 30 g pine nuts
• 50 g vegetarian hard cheese (Parmesan-style)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Method

You’ll need: frying pan · saucepan · chopping board · knife · mixing bowl · sieve · spatula

1. Cook the wholewheat pasta in salted water until al dente, drain and let the steam escape briefly. For a pasta salad, you can carry on with it lukewarm or completely cooled.
2. Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into thin strips. Wash the rocket, shake it dry and roughly chop.
3. Carefully toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until fragrant and lightly coloured. Shave the hard cheese coarsely.
4. Whisk the olive oil and balsamic vinegar with salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss the pasta in it straight away so it soaks up the dressing well.
5. Fold in the sun-dried tomatoes, rocket and pine nuts. Leave to stand briefly and season again if needed.
6. Sprinkle with hard cheese before serving. The salad tastes just as good lukewarm as cold.

Good to know

A pasta salad like this can be bold, fresh and uncomplicated. It tastes of sunshine without feeling heavy. Just right when it needs to be quick but should still look like a proper meal.

Swaps

Pine nuts → walnuts (also provide omega-3 fatty acids; tree nuts). Hard cheese → a mature vegetarian hard cheese made from cow's or sheep's milk (similar protein content). Wholewheat pasta → chickpea pasta (also provides protein and fibre). Balsamic vinegar → lemon juice (fresh flavour, a little vitamin C).

Allergens

Contains gluten (pasta), milk (hard cheese) and pine nuts. Usually fine for children; in pregnancy, wash the rocket thoroughly and use hard cheese in good condition.