Tuna Apple Pasta Salad

It’s been one of those weeks where I haven’t gone food shopping and have limited ingredients on hand, so a pantry staple meal was a bit of a must. This tuna apple pasta salad is my absolute go-to. It’s the perfect lunch, dinner, or side and has been a favorite of mine for years! It’s made with five simple ingredients, three of which are pantry staples. The flavor combo may sound a bit weird, I know, but, trust me, it’s amazing!

Making this tuna apple pasta salad is always a bit of a comfort for me. I feel like pasta dishes are always a bit comforting, and this one specifically reminds me of my mom. She first made this for me when I was in high school after adapting it herself from some recipe she found. Since then, I’ve been making it for myself (and friends) on repeat with a few tweaks over the years. It’s super simple, and you can make a nice batch to last you for the week (although it will probably be gone in a day or two in my experience).

Here’s What You’ll Need:

• 8 oz cooked pasta of choice (I like to use chickpea pasta to make it GF)

• 2 cans tuna, drained

• 4 celery stalks, sliced

• 1-2 granny smith apples (depending on size), cubed

• 1/2 cup avocado oil mayo (or mayo of choice)

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Mix together the cooked pasta, tuna, celery, apple, mayo, and salt and pepper to taste.

2. That’s it! Enjoy!

Whether you’re enjoying this for lunch or making it as a side for a party, it’s sure to be a hit. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Good Clean Summer Love Pasta Salad with Love Beets and Organic Girl

I don't know about you guys, but I LOVE me some beets and organic greens! So when Love Beets and Organic Girl let me in on their #GoodCleanSummerLove campaign, I was SO excited to play around!

Before we get into the recipe deets, let me tell you guys about this amazing contest. One lucky winner is going to win an entire year's supply of Love Beets and Organic Girl (insert heart eyes and hand raising emoji here)! I'll put the full details on how to enter at the bottom of this post, so make sure you check it out!

So back to the eats. Beets and greens scream summer to me (hence the campaign I'm guessing), and of course they both go great in a salad. But I decided I wanted to kick it up a level. What else screams summer? Grilling, corn, and pasta salads. So why not bring them all together? Trust me you want to bring them all together...

Here's What You'll Need:

-1 lb pasta, cooked (I used sprouted penne, but lentil or whole grain pastas are also great)
-2 cups Organic Girl pepper greens
-4 Love Beets organic cooked beets, chopped
-1/4 cup Organic Girl pomegranate balsamic dressing
-3/4 cup feta
-2 ears of corn
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1/4 cup pine nuts
-Sea Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Preheat your grill to medium high heat.
2) Remove the silk from the corn and pull down the husks. Coat the corn in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Replace the husks back up around the corn.
3) Grill the corn for about 20 minutes, rotating 1/4 of the way every 5 minutes.
4) Once cooked, shave the kernels off the cob using a knife.
5) Toast the pine nuts on the stove top until just golden brown (about 3-5 minutes).
6) In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, beets, pepper greens, corn, pine nuts, and feta.
7) Add in the dressing (and salt and pepper to taste) and mix completely until evenly distributed.
8) Serve and enjoy!

This pasta salad is literally like summer in side dish form. It's perfect for a picnic, bbq, or even as a meal through out the week. Let me know what you think in the comments, and make sure to check on the contest rules below.
 

Summer Zucchini "Pasta" Salad

Can you even believe we are just a couple of days away from the first day of summer? I am beyond excited for the summer heat, beach days (minus this pretty unfortunate sunburn I'm rocking right now), and of course my favorite, picnics. There is so much fresh, local, and delicious produce filling up the farmer's markets and grocery stores, and I honestly couldn't be happier.

So in celebration of summer and all of the delicious goods I picked up this weekend, I decided to throw together a pasta salad with a twist. I wanted to keep it light and fresh, so I swapped out the noodles for some raw zucchini ribbons, added in some other tasty flavors, and finished it all off with Stella Cheese's new mozzarella.

The verdict - you NEED this in your life. It's so fresh and summery, plus this Stella Mozzarella is insanely delicious. This is the perfect side dish (or main dish if ya ask me) for your 4th of July picnics coming up in a couple of weeks. Or feel free to just make it as a quick, week night dinner. It's super easy to throw together, so it's the perfect way to end a long, hectic day.

Need another reason to try this one out? Yeah, I didn't think so, but I'll give you one anyway. You can use the $1 off coupon here when you pick up Stella mozzarella at your local store. So let's get to it!

Here's What You'll Need:

-2 zucchinis, spiralized using the ribbon blade
-1 tomato, cubed
-8 oz ball of Stella fresh mozzarella, cubed
-1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
-1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar
-2 tbsp olive oil
-1/2 tsp dried oregano
-Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) In a large bowl, mix together the zucchini ribbons, tomato, Stella mozzarella, and olives.
2) Drizzle on the vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
3) Plate the "pasta" salad, top with the oregano, and serve.
4) Enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below, and don't forget to snag your $1 off coupon for Stella's fresh mozzarella here. Be sure to check out their Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram pages for other recipe ideas using their delicious cheese!

Caprese Pasta Salad

I have been SERIOUSLY slacking on the recipe front, and I totally apologize for that! But I'm back and just in time for Memorial Day Weekend! I'm hoping to get up a few different ideas throughout this week that you can bring to/make for any upcoming picnics and parties you might be attending over the long weekend. Starting it off with this super easy caprese pasta salad.

Here's What You'll Need:

-One 10 oz bag of penne (I used Modern Table Meals' mixed lentil penne)
-16 oz fresh mozzarella (I used two Buf Creamery containers), cut into cubes
-2 medium tomatoes, chopped
-10 basil leaves, chopped
-1/2 cup balsamic vinnegar
-2 tbsp olive oil
-Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) Cook your pasta according to the instructions. Let cool until it reaches around room temperature, or you can just toss it in the fridge.
2) In a large bowl, mix together the tomato, penne, basil, and mozzarella.
3) Drizzle with the balsamic and olive oil and top with salt and pepper.
4) Enjoy!

I told you it was easy! And it's sure to be a crowd pleaser! Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Greek Pasta Salad with Teff Penne

I feel like I always start out posts by saying so and so is one of my favorite foods. Maybe I have a million favorite foods. I don't know. But Greek salads literally are one of my favorite foods. I think I told this story in a previous Greek salad related post, but I will go to this one specific diner by me just for the Greek salad. They are just SO good and so refreshing. 

I had the pleasure of trying Gabriella's Kitchen Skinnypasta this week. I started out by trying their super food teff penne, and for some reason a Greek salad pasta salad just felt right. So I did it, and it was BOMB. I had it for lunch, but it could also be a great side, especially for the (hopefully soon) upcoming spring and summer picnics and parties. 

Here's What You'll Need:

-One 7 oz package of Gabriella's Kitchen Skinnypasta Superfood Teff Penne
-1 large tomato, chopped
-1 cucumber, cubed
-1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
-1/4 cup feta cheese
-1/4 cup garbanzo beans
-1/8 cup red onion, chopped
-2 tbsp olive oil
-2 tbsp red wine vinegar
-1 tsp lemon juice
-1/2 tsp oregano 

Instructions:

1) Cook the pasta according to directions - about 90 seconds to 2 minutes in boiling water.
2) Strain the pasta, and run cold water over it. 
3) Make the dressing by mix together the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and oregano.
4) Mix the remaining ingredients together in a bowl with the pasta.
5) Top everything with the dressing.
6) Split between two bowls, and enjoy!

Let me know what you think in the comments below and what occasion(s) you used it for!

Also, a nice benefit for my readers is that you can use the code allroadsleadtohealthy to get 25% off your order over on Gabriella's Kitchen's website! The code is only valid for the first 50 people to use it, so don't wait around if you're interested in trying it. They have a number of different kinds of pasta - gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, high in protein, super food, etc. All are super delicious and easy to make!