Cooking with Joy: Healthy Pasta and Vegetables

This week’s dishes are Greek Pasta Salad and Zucchini and Red Peppers. I was trying to figure out how to lend the zucchini side dish to make it a meal. More on that soon, but up first – Greek pasta salad.

Greek Pasta Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing page 135
DRESS IT UP: Fancy and Fresh Greek Pasta Salad

Hubs loves olives, I love feta cheese and the kids love noodles- so this was a very family friendly dinner.
I knew the kids wouldn’t be so into the pasta dressed, so I made them a deconstructed pasta salad with the plain pasta and the cut up veggies on the side- and offered them the dressing as a dipping sauce.

Our 2 year old loved it and our 5 year old didn’t- I kind of knew that would happen.

I don’t usually like raw red onion or oregano, so I sliced it super thin and barely tasted the oregano since there were so many other great flavors to make everything taste great.  I used mini farfalle pasta since I had it in the pantry- I figured as long as the pasta had nooks and crannies to soak up the creamy dressing it would do just fine, and fine it did.

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Zucchini and Red Bell Pepper Saute page 121
DRESS IT DOWN Zucchini Coins

For the zucchini and red peppers I was inspired by Jamie’s suggestion of making it a meal by topping the veggies with shaved parmesan. I took it one step further and boiled up some whole wheat angel hair pasta. This pasta/veggie dish topped with shaved parmesan cheese was so filling, so healthy and so delicious!

These simple light pasta dishes are a perfect quick dinner. Or if you are feeling a little more eager, can be a great side to roasted salmon. Maybe next time when I have time to be eager