Pasta Recipes

Picnic Baskets Yogi Bear Would Be Proud Of

August 3, 2012 by Andrea Godfreyson, Registered Dietitian

I’m a total sucker for eating outside and summer screams for one-dish meals that can be easily carried down to the beach, park or even to a good old fashioned tailgate party.

I often like to use pasta as my canvas.

There are countless combinations of delicious flavours, textures and colours that can be used to continually reinvent meals. Pasta salad is kid-friendly, doesn’t need to be heated up and can be a meal in itself so you don’t need to think about side dishes. The fresh, simple taste of pasta infused with a bounty of vegetables and a bit of meat or seafood satisfies my hunger and feels light so I’m still motivated to toss around a disc or take up a game of bocce ball.

I spent some time with my fellow blog writers recently, salivating over pasta salad combinations, and we came up with six ideas that we all agreed would be great picnic options.

Try these flavour combinations or be creative and experiment with alternatives. I like to load up my pasta salads with veggies so they are less noodle and more veggie, but go ahead and play with the ingredient amounts.

For the dressings, start with a ratio of 3 parts oil, 1 part lemon juice or vinegar and then add more lemon juice or vinegar to taste. Feel free to add a clove of minced garlic to any of these for a bit of bite. Season each of the salads to cater to those you share food with. For the noodles, shorter shapes or tubes work best, but use any pasta you like!

Use your noodle	5 Main Ingredients	Dress it from your pantry/fridge
Penne (tubes with ridges)	Tomatoes Red onion Olives Parmesan cheese Sardines	Olive oil Lemon juice
Orecchiette (shaped like little ears)	Roasted chicken Cherry tomatoes Wilted spinach (steam or sauté before adding) White sweet onion Pesto sauce	Lemon juice
Cavatappi (corkscrew shaped macaroni)	Chickpeas Cucumber Tomatoes Feta cheese Fresh oregano	Olive oil Red wine vinegar
Farfalle (shaped like bow-ties)	Smoked salmon Sundried tomato Goat cheese Asparagus Capers	Olive oil Lemon juice
Fusilli (triple edged spirals)	Canned clams Zucchini Bell peppers Tomatoes Parsley	Olive oil White wine vinegar Lemon zest Hot pepper flakes
Soft chow mein noodles, egg noodles or rice vermicelli	Cooked shredded beef/pork Snow peas Greenonions Cashews Cilantro	Peanut and sesame oil Rice wine vinegar Soy sauce (a splash is likely all you need)

Complete your picnic with some fresh cut-up fruit and a few semi-frozen filled re-useable water bottles (to drink and to keep things cool). Don’t forget to bring a blanket big enough for your planned guests and a few unplanned ones that you may pick up along the way.

What’s your signature pasta salad combination? We’d love to hear about your tried and true family recipes.

Recommended Resources:
Picnicking, camping and hiking food safety tips

Topic:

Food & Nutrition

Meal Planning

Lunch

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