Cold salad with Casarecce and Basil Balsamic Cream
Cold salad with casarecce (or macaroni) is one of the easiest, light meals and it is ideal as lunch or dinner, especially during the hotter months of the year. By combining pasta and vegetables you get a quick meal that is convenient to prepare beforehand and keep in the refrigerator. Enjoy it as a quick bite, as a side dish, or take it with you in the office
Cold salad with Casarecce and Basil Balsamic Cream
Our tasty recipe of cold salad with casarecce praises high-quality products of Peloponnese and consists of Greek traditional pasta (replace with any type of pasta you have), pesto sauce, Kalamata Olives, and sfella, a salty traditional white cheese, originated from Messinia (easily replaced with feta cheese). We top up our salad with extra virgin Kalamata olive oil and of course Messino Balsamic Cream with Basil
Ingredients
- 500 gr casarecce
- 20 cherry tomatoes cut in fours
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 zucchini
- 1 eggplant
- 100 gr Kalamata olives without the kernel (cut in slices)
- 200 gr Messinian Sfela cheese (or feta cheese)
- 4 tbsp Messino Balsamic Cream with Basil
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
For the pesto sauce
- 100 gr rocket
- 100 gr Olive oil
- 30 gr hazelnut
- 80 gr Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C
- Fill a large pot with water and add some salt for taste
- Bring it to a boil and add the casarecce. Boil according to the time mentioned on the package. Once they are ready, strain them, spread them on a large pan, and sprinkle them with olive oil
- Cut the cherry tomatoes, the peppers, the zucchini, and the eggplant into thin slices and bake them in the preheated oven for at least 10 minutes
- For the rocket pesto sauce, blend all the ingredients in a small mixer except for the olive oil. Blend until all the ingredients are homogenized and slowly pour the olive oil into the mix. Season with salt and pepper according to your preference
- In a large bowl add the casarecce, grilled vegetables, and rocket pesto and mix well
- Serve the pasta and add Kalamata olives and Sfela cheese
- Finish with Basil Messino balsamic cream and some olive oil and enjoy
Extra Tip:
- This recipe is great to experiment with. Choose different vegetables that are in season, play with multiple colours or pick another Messino balsamic cream, such as Orange, Fig or Honey