Best Healthy Summer Pasta Salad in Under Ten Minutes

Best Healthy Summer Pasta Salad in Under Ten Minutes
It’s Friday! I have never been so happy to see a Friday for a long time. What a week it’s been, between work, the blog, and adulting in general, I’ve been under one hell of a time crunch.

I can’t wait for the weekend, basically just so that I can spend the whole time sleeping. So, if you’re at all having the week that I’ve had, you’ll appreciate today’s healthy recipe which is fabulous for those hot, busy summer days when I do not want to cook!

I did my shopping for today’s healthy inspiration at Sam’s Club, which by the way, is only the second time I’ve been to one and it’s amazing! I can buy so many things of delicious strawberries and flavored waters in bulk, I had to control myself a bit. Anyway, here’s my favorite summer pasta salad that’s gluten-free and filled with lots of delicious fresh vegetables!

• Gluten-Free Summer Pasta Salad Recipe
• Yields two, very delicious, servings
• Estimated prep time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

-2 cups of rice vermicelli noodles, cooked according to the directions on the package
-1 cup of sliced and halved cucumbers
-1 cup of washed and chopped spinach
-1/2 cup of cherry or grape tomatoes
-3/4 cup of parmesan cheese
-1/4 cup of olive oil
-3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
-2 tablespoons of Italian dressing season mix

STEPS

Start by cooking the rice vermicelli noodles: bring a pot of water to boil and then add in the noodles, let them cook for three minutes and then drain and place in your salad bowl

Add the cucumbers, spinach, and grape tomatoes and give it a good mix

Meanwhile, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and salad dressing mix and incorporate into the salad
Finish the salad off by stirring in the parmesan cheese

I love adding spinach to recipes like this – you could even double it for this recipe and it would be delicious! Spinach is the superfood of the month in Healthy Living Made Simple, Sam’s Club online magazine, that’s a great healthy resource.

Sam’s Club is a great resource in general for healthy options! You can buy produce in bulk (think of all the strawberries you can buy at once!) but they do more than sell healthy foods: they offer an optical program with a great variety of frames and contact lenses; they offer free health screenings the second Saturday of each month (next one is on 8/13!), and they have additional hearing and OTC services.

So, the next time you have a BBQ or a potluck to attend this summer, definitely stop by your local Sam’s Club to stock up on fresh spinach and tomatoes for this recipe!

I’d love to know, what’s your favorite spinach recipe to make during summertime? And don’t forget to check out the Healthy Living Made Simple magazine for more inspiration!

Thanks for reading,
Kelly xoxo