My Last-Minute Veg-Packed Pasta Salad

This veggie-loaded pasta salad is healthy and filling, and best of all, it is easy and quick enough to be a last-minute meal. Perfect for the crazy busy mornings when lunchboxes are empty and time is short.

You’re wolfing down a piece of toast while you simultaneously brush a child’s hair and run through last night in your mind to try and remember where on earth you put that missing school shoe. And then you stop mid-bite:

You forgot to pack the lunchboxes.

Does this ever happen to you? Or is this just my life on a regular basis?

I try to pack lunches the night before. I do. But sometimes, I’m just too tired. Or my weary mind doesn’t remind me of that particular essential task.

So I’ve had to become quite good at throwing together a last-minute healthy lunchbox.

I’ve learned what to keep on hand as much as possible.

In the summer, I almost always have some cucumber in the fridge – it’s refreshing, summery, and the kids love it. We always have a jar of olives available, as we love to have them on our weekly pizza, and they make an easy snack or lunchbox addition to bulk out the veg section a little!

And frozen vegetables are my forever-friends. Especially pre-sliced peppers. Cheap, zero effort, and so sweet they are totally non-threatening to kids’ tastebuds.

Dry pasta (we love a wholegrain spelt one) takes less than 10 minutes to cook. Go for a gluten free brown rice flour one and it can take less than 5. Fresh pasta takes 2-3 minutes. I keep a few varieties on hand so I can adjust to the time constraints, but I always choose wholegrain where possible.

I recently bought the kids new lunchboxes, which I LOVE. So do they. They are working really well for us, and this pasta salad was the first lunch we tested out in them.

They were totally empty when they came home.

Empty lunchboxes, full bellies, 5 minutes work for mummy.

That’s my kind of lunch.

So next time you are brushing the toast crumbs out of your child’s hair while panicking about lunch prep, why not reach for a bag of pasta and a few odds and ends and whip up this delicious, healthy, veggie-loaded pasta salad? And keep the ingredients around for next time, which (if you are like me) will probably come around sooner than you expect…

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Last-Minute Veg-Packed Pasta Salad

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

This delicious veg-packed pasta salad is a great last-minute lunchbox favourite you can throw together in minutes. Perfect for busy days with little time. Gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian (vegan option).

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 200 g (7 oz) wholegrain pasta of choice (gluten free works great, too)
• a few handfuls of frozen sliced bell peppers or 2 bell peppers, finely sliced (raw tastes better, but frozen is super convenient!)
• 2 tablespoons pesto (shop-bought, or better yet, homemade* – check labels if dairy free/vegan and using shop-bought)
• 1/2 long English cucumber, diced
• a few handfuls of pitted olives (green or black, your choice)
• 4 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
• a decent chunk of Cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes (leave out for vegan/dairy free)
• fresh ground black pepper and extra virgin olive oil, to taste

Instructions

1. Cook your pasta according to packet instructions (if you have planned ahead, this can be done the night before). Meanwhile, prep your veg and cook your peppers if using frozen ones (I do this in the microwave, but you can fry them for a few minutes if you prefer). Mix everything together in a big bowl. Serve warm or cold.

Recipe Notes

*I love making batches of my 30-second parsley pesto and freezing in ice cubes trays to have on hand for quick meals whenever (I just defrost a couple of portions as needed)