Avocado Pasta Salad

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Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 5 mins

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients:

400 grams whole wheat pasta (we used rotini)
1 avocado, pip removed and sliced
2 cups cherry tomato, halved
½ cup fresh basil

Dressing Ingredients:

1 avocado
Juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove
1 cup fresh basil
3 cups baby spinach
¼ teaspoon salt

Method

Add 4 cups of water to a large pot and bring to boil. Add a pinch of salt and the pasta. Stir gently. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the pasta is soft. Remove from heat and drain the water.

To make the pesto add 1 avocado, lemon juice, garlic clove, 1 cup of basil, baby spinach and salt to a food processor and blend until smooth.

In a large bowl, add the pasta, pesto, sliced avocado, cherry tomato and remainder of the basil. Toss everything together until evenly coated. Season to taste with more salt.

This salad can be kept covered in the fridge.

For more fruit and vegetable inspiration visit 5aday.co.nz

Goes Great With
Nutrition

Classic-Beef-Steaks-with-Fresh-Tomato-Salsa

Peppered Steak with Mustard Cream

Semi-Boned Lamb Shoulder

Lamb Steaks with Chilli Pesto

Nutrition Information Per Serving

Serving size: 132g

Energy kJ (kcal)	914 (218)
Protein (g)	7
Fat (g)	9
Saturated (g)	1.4
Carbohydrate (g)	23
Sugars (g)	2
Sodium (mg)	111
Iron (mg)	2
Vitamin C (mg)	7.2
Vitamin A (µg)	108
Magnesium (mg)	72
Folate (µg)	82

This recipe provides over a quarter of an adults’ recommended daily fibre intake and the vitamin C from the vegetables and the haem iron from the meat (if served alongside red meat) will increase the non-haem iron absorption from the whole meal.