Quick and Healthy Meals: gluten free and vegetarian pasta salad recipe

Following our goal for the summer of trying to create more allergen friendly meals for these events, the recipe is gluten-free, and vegetarian, allowing more people with the opportunity to participate in Food and Community!

Wondering what Food and Community is? Every Tuesday this summer, we have been serving free food to bring together the Queen's Summer community in Kingston. Through this we promote healthy and accessible eating options to campus. At our last Food and Community, the health and Promo team along with Faith and Spirituality made this recipe: a refreshing pasta salad to welcome the warm weather...

and it turned out to be a favourite, so we're sharing it with you guys!

Serving Size: 6

• Gluten-Free Fusilli Pasta (3 cups (uncooked))

• Cherry tomatoes (2.5 cups halved)

• Arugula (2 cups)

• Chickpeas (1 ½ cups)

• Cucumbers (1 cup sliced)

• Feta Cheese (1 cup)

• Basil (1 cup)

  
  

To create the dressing for the salad, we used:

• Olive oil (¼ cup)

• Lemon juice (3 tbsp)

• Dijon mustard (1 tsp)

• Sea salt (¾ tsp)

• Red pepper flakes (¼ tsp)

• Italian seasoning (1 tsp)

• Garlic cloves (3 cloves)

• Mint (½ cup minced)

• Parsley (½ cup minced)

To prepare this recipe at home, follow the instructions below using the amounts listed above!

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and then cook the pasta until complete, or slightly overcooked.

2. Drain the pasta and toss with olive oil to avoid them sticking together and then let cool to room temperature.

3. Cut the various vegetables:

4. Tomatoes: Halved

5. Cucumbers: cut into half moons

6. Feta cheese: cut into cubes

7. Parsley, Mint, Garlic: Mince

8. Fill a bowl with the cooked pasta, and then add the cut tomatoes, chickpeas, arugula, cucumbers, feta cheese, and basil. Mix the contents

9. In a separate bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients, including the parsley, mint, and garlic.

10. Pour the dressing into the bowl with the pasta salad, mix, and enjoy!

    
    

What this meal provides you with.

This meal provides a good source of protein, fibre, monounsaturated fat, calcium, and antioxidants!

Protein: Chickpeas and feta cheese provide a good source of protein in this meal, which not only supports growth and recovery, but also helps you feel more satiated (full) after the meal. You receive roughly 10-14 grams of protein per serving.

Fibre: The abundance of vegetables in this recipe, accompanied by the chickpeas, offers a terrific source of fibre, supporting digestive health and once again promoting satiety. Each serving provides roughly 5-8 grams of fibre.

Monounsaturated fats: The olive oil used in the dressing provides you with monounsaturated fats which support fat-soluble vitamin absorption and heart health!

Calcium: Feta cheese is a great source of calcium, supporting bone health, and muscle contraction.

Antioxidants: The various vegetables used, from arugula to tomatoes, as well as the olive oil, provide various antioxidants, including polyphenols and flavonoids, supporting overall health by protecting cells from oxidative stress.

Give this recipe a try, and hope you enjoy as much as we did!