Pasta Salad

I have started making pasta fairly recently just about 2 years back. I simply assumed that since my hubby doesn’t like noodles he wouldn’t like pasta as well. But that is hardly the case and how did I discover this...one day he told me about a friend of mine ‘H bahut achha pasta banata hain.’ And I was like !!!

That is when I started making pasta. Today I am posting a recipe for pasta salad.

Ingredients

1 cup pasta (whole wheat or normal),

½ cup diced carrots,

1 tbsp sliced green olives,

1 tbsp sliced black olives,

1 tbsp chopped jalapenos,

2 tbsp brine from olives or jalapenos,

1 chopped onion,

½ cup sliced mushrooms,

½ cup chopped capsicum,

1 chopped tomato,

¾ cup of diced cucumber,

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil,

½ tbsp refined oil,

Salt to taste,

1 tsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns,

1 -2 tbsp grated cheese,

½ dried thyme

Method

Cook the pasta as per directions on the pack, just add the carrots when the pasta is half done.

Heat the oil and add the onion, mushrooms and capsicum. Saute for about a minute and then dunk in the cooked pasta, carrots, green and black olives, jalapenos, salt and pepper. Saute for another minute and switch off the heat.

Add the brine, thyme and grated cheese. Mix well. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Let cool and add the tomato and cucumber. You can even add lettuce.

Serve cold or at room temperature.