Cold Pasta Salad with Pea Microgreens

I’ve always loved cold pasta salad (perhaps a nod to my Midwest roots?), and I’ve especially enjoyed cold pasta salad once I started using red wine vinegar more regularly in my cooking. It adds a bright tang that can’t quite be replaced. It also doesn’t overpower the dish; instead, it accentuates the other flavors, like the pea microgreens featured here. 

Prep time: 30 minutes
Serves 4, generously

Ingredients

• 8 oz dried pasta shells

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• Juice from 1/2 lemon

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 package (~8 oz) of sliced turkey deli meat, chopped (see note below)

• 1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped

• 1 16-oz can white beans, drained and rinsed

• 1/2 cup shredded asiago or parmesan cheese

• 2 cups pea microgreens, rinsed, patted dry, and roughly chopped

• Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a few dashes of salt if you’d like. Boil the pasta until tender. 

While the pasta boils, prepare the other ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, stir or whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and minced garlic. Add the turkey deli meat, artichoke hearts, white beans, and shredded cheese. Stir gently to combine, being careful to maintain the integrity of the ingredients. 

Once the pasta is cooked, drain in a colander, and rinse under cold water until the pasta is cool enough to handle. Also run the pot itself under cold water to cool off. (Pro tip: make sure the pot is dried, to avoid adding any extra moisture to the pasta salad.) Return the pasta to the pot and add all the ingredients from the other bowl, plus the pea microgreens. Stir a few times more until everything is fully incorporated and glistening with the oil dressing. Add a sprinkle of salt and some freshly cracked pepper before serving. 

Note: for the turkey meat, I get a package of pre-sliced deli meat and then, while keeping the whole stack together, I cut them into cubes. Some of the layers will separate while mixing, but it creates “chunks” that nestle well into the pasta shells.

A little weird, but it works!