This simple, creamy root vegetable soup uses a mix chosen for how beautifully the flavours blend together – sweet potato, carrots, celeriac, parsnip, potato, garlic and onion. Nourishing, never boring, and flexible too – in case your harvest basket is missing one or two! 😅

Confession: I don’t harvest, and I don’t live in the country

I’m calling this a harvest root vegetable soup so it sounds like I casually threw in whatever we dug up from the garden during our latest harvest. But the truth is, there was no harvesting involved, and I definitely don’t live in the country. I’m smack bang in the middle of Sydney!

I just wanted to give it a cute name – “root vegetable soup” just doesn’t quite have the same ring to it! 😅 So hopefully I got your attention and now I can convince you to try this recipe. Did it work??!

Root vegetables make great soups because each one brings a different flavour into the pot, and the higher starch content means you get a creamy soup texture without using gallons of cream. A generous serving of this one comes in at just 350 calories – win!

It’s simple to make, and versatile too – switch vegetables out of season or pricey for whatever reason.

Rare soup made with water, not stock

I also love that this soup is nourishing but not boring, and made with water rather than stock. Usually, simple soups made without stock can taste flat because it lacks savoury depth or richness to carry the flavours of the other ingredients. But here, we have a secret ingredient that compensates – curry powder!

No, it doesn’t make it taste Indian. It doesn’t even put it into wannabe-curry territory, it just adds warm earthy spice flavour that lifts the flavours so you don’t need to buy or make vegetable stock for this soup to be tasty.

In fact, most people who tried this soup didn’t even pick that there was curry powder in this, but could tell there was “spicing of some kind” (the official feedback!).

What goes in root vegetable soup

Here’s what you need to make this country harvest root vegetable soup. No harvesting required! 🤣

The harvest root vegetables

Root vegetables are vegetables that are grown underground. Here are the ones we use – as mentioned above, this is a specific combination chosen so no single vegetable flavour stands out too much, but instead compliment each other. But, it’s a flexible recipe – see notes below for comment on substituting.

• Onion and garlic – essential flavour base!

• Carrots – 2 medium ones, or 1 very large one

• Potato and sweet potato – These add creaminess and thickness to the soup in a way that other less-starchy root vegetables cannot, while the sweet potato also adds sweetness. Substitute – Feel free to double up on either of these, they are a good substitute for each other.

• Celeriac – A knobbly root vegetable with a texture like radish and flavour like celery (hence, the name, I presume!). Substitute – 3 celery sticks, swede, turnip.

• Parsnip – Looks like a white carrot, with a sort of nutty, sweet, earthy flavour. It’s unlike any other vegetable actually, I can’t think of something to compare the flavour to! Substitute – swede, turnip.

Changing the root vegetables – Swap and substitute as you like, especially with the listed root vegetables. Just keep in mind that celeriac and parsnip have stronger flavours, so if you use more, the flavour will be more dominant in the soup.

Non root vegetables – It’s ok! You can use non-root vegetables in this too! However, note that using vegetables with higher water content and lower in starch (like zucchini, capsicum/bell peppers) will make the soup less thick and creamy, and the soup colour will be affected if you stray from orangey/beige toned vegetables. I take no responsibility if yours turns out an un-appetising colour!!

Everything else for the soup

And here are the other things you need for this root vegetable soup. No stock – just water! (See above section for comment on this).

• Curry powder (mild, not spicy) – As explained above, this is the “secret ingredient” which makes this soup tasty even though we’ve only used water rather than vegetable stock. I just use Clives (or Keens, though I prefer Clives here) – regular grocery shop Western curry powder.

• Cream – Just half a cup of cream gives this soup a nice mouthfeel without making it calorie heavy. Substitute with milk and butter – see recipe notes.

• Dried thyme – Just a touch of dried herb for flavour. Substitute with fresh thyme, or dried oregano.

• Butter and oil (forgot to put in photo!) – The recipe needs 3 tablespoons of fat to effectively sauté the vegetables. Using just butter gets a little too butter-heavy in flavour so this recipe calls for a combination of oil plus butter. But – fine to use all of either! 🙂

How to make Country Harvest Root Vegetable Soup

Sauté (5 minutes) > simmer (15 minutes) > blitz (1 minute) > dinner!

1. Sauté the onion and garlic for 2 minutes until the onion starts to soften.

2. Add the root vegetables, thyme and curry. Stir well for a few minutes. We’re not trying to cook the vegetables, just give the surface a gentle toasting which also brings out the flavour of the thyme and curry powder.

3. Simmer – Add the water, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft (check with a knife).

4. Cream – Add the cream and simmer for another 1 minute.

5. Blitz with a stick blender, or in batches in a blender (remove the lid insert and cover the hole with a folded tea towel).

6. Blitzed and ready to serve!

Proof of thick and creaminess:

Garnishing and serving

I know it’s really un-original but a little drizzle of cream always seems to go a long way when serving soup. I only use 1 teaspoon or so per bowl, but it tastes like I’ve used so much more – great bang for your calorie buck!

Climbing a little higher on the originality scale is the suggestion to add a small pinch of curry powder for subtle boost of curry flavour. Then sliding right back down into un-original territory – finish with a sprinkle of parsley and pepper. 🙂

Ah well. Maybe my garnishing ideas won’t win any innovation awards. But the soup itself will hit the spot, especially if it’s a grey dreary day like it is here in Sydney! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Print

Country harvest root vegetable soup

Recipe video above. I don't harvest and I don't live in the country. I just didn't think "Root Vegetable Soup" did this recipe justice – so I got creative to get your attention!😅

Root veg are great for naturally creamy soups thanks to the higher starch content, though we give this a luxe boost with a scant 1/2 cup of cream. Nourishing, never boring, and flexible too – in case your harvest basket is missing items! Love that it's made with water not stock – curry powder adds a flavour boost so it doesn't taste flat. Bonus – LOW CAL!

Course Main, Soups, Starter

Cuisine Western

Keyword creamy farmers soup, harvest soup, root vegetable recipe, root vegetable soup, root vegetables

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 5 – 6 as a main

Calories 362cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp (15g) unsalted butter
• 1 onion , chopped into large dice
• 3 garlic cloves , chopped
• 1 tbsp curry powder (I like Clive, but any will do, Note 1)
• 1 tsp dried thyme leaves (Note 2)
• 1 1/2 litre (6 cups) water
• 2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt (halve for table salt)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup thickened cream (heavy cream, or regular), plus extra for garnish (Note 3)

Root vegetables (Note 4):

• 1 large potato (~300g/10oz), peeled, cut into 2.5cm/1" cubes
• 1 medium sweet potato (350g/12oz), peeled, cut into 2.5cm/1″ cubes
• 2 medium carrots , peeled, cut into 1.5cm/0.5″ pieces
• 1 small/medium parsnip (150g/5oz), peeled, cut into 1.5cm/0.5″ pieces
• 1 small celeriac (600g/1.2 lb), peeled, cut into 1.5cm/0.5″ pieces (~2 heaped cups)

Serving/garnish (optional):

• Warm crusty bread
• Parsley , finely chopped
• Pinch extra curry powder
• Pinch black pepper

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Sauté – Put the olive oil and butter in a large heavy-based pot over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, cook the onion and garlic for 2 minutes until the onion is softened.
• Add root vegetables, thyme and curry powder. Cook for three minutes stirring regularly, until the outside of the vegetables starts to soften.
• Simmer 15 minutes – Turn stove up to high. Add water, salt and pepper. Stir, then once it comes to a simmer, lower heat to medium high and simmer rapidly for 15 minutes (no lid) until all the vegetables are soft (check with knife).
• Stir in cream, simmer for 1 minute.
• Blitz – Remove from heat and use a stick blender to blitz until smooth. (Note 5 for blender) Adjust to taste – water to thin, salt and pepper if needed, extra cream for more indulgent.
• Serve in bowls. Drizzle with cream, pinch of curry powder, parsley and pepper. Serve with warm crusty bread!

Notes

1. Curry powder – I’m talking regular grocery shop Western curry powder. Neutral enough so no one will think you’re trying to make a curry but adds interest so it doesn’t just taste like pureed vegetables without having to buy vegetable stock.

2. Other herb options – fresh thyme leaves or dried oregano, Italian mix or herbes de provence.

3. Cream gives this a nice finish for mouthfeel. Sub with 1/3 cup milk plus unsalted butter (I’d use about 2 tbsp /30g).

4. Root vegetables – Feel free to swap out and use more of any of the listed. Pumpkin is a great all-rounder sub for any of them.

• Parsnip and celeriac – if you increase these, they will dominate as they have stronger flavour than the other veg. They can also be exxy – sub with swedes or turnip.
• Potato – Any all purpose or starchy potato is fine here, I used Sebago (the dirt brushed ones in Australia).
• Non-root veg will also work but as they are typically more watery and less starchy, soup will likely be thinner and less creamy.

5. Blender – Do in batches, remove lid insert and cover the hole with a folded tea towel. Blitz, repeat.

Leftovers will keep for 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.

Nutrition per serving assuming 5 very generous servings as a main (serves ~8 as a starter). Excludes bread (how am I to know how much butter you slather yours with??!).

Nutrition

Calories: 362cal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 1140mg | Potassium: 1177mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 20390IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 143mg | Iron: 2mg

More simple, nourishing-but-not-boring soups

Healthy doesn’t have to mean bland!

Pumpkin Soup

Celeriac Soup

Creamy Carrot Soup

Healthy Creamy Zucchini Soup

Healthy Creamy Broccoli Soup

No Chop Roast Butternut Pumpkin / Squash Soup

Creamy HEALTHY Soup – just 45 calories!

Broccoli Soup – Thick & Creamy!

Soups

Life of Dozer

Wow. 700 birthday wishes for Dozer and counting in just one weekend – he’s officially more popular than any recipe I’ve ever published!!! He’ll be expecting a parade and public holiday in his honour next year….what are you doing to me? All this attention is going to his head!!!🤣

The post Country harvest root vegetable soup appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Named as such because the chickpeas are so meltingly creamy, this is a recipe inspired by a chickpea curry I had from Afghan Sufra in Lakemba, an area of Sydney known for its wonderful Middle Eastern and sub-continental food scene. I’m obsessed!

Melting Afghan Chickpea Curry

Today’s recipe is inspired by a chickpea curry I had from a casual eatery called Afghan Sufra in Lakemba. Known for its authentic Afghan food, I was drawn in by the smell of smoky grilled meats and walked out with a generous spread of takeaway – for research, of course!

In amongst the loot was a chickpea curry that came with a gigantic flatbread – incredible value at $10, enough to feed two generously, if not three. I enjoyed the flavour of it so much I became fixated on recreating it. And here it is!

Why I love this Afghan chickpea curry so much

To be honest, throughout the creation process, the recipe diverged from the original – my sauce is thicker rather than watery, I use less oil, and I cheat with canned chickpeas so I can make it on demand. But the spirit of the Afghan flavours are there, and distinguishable from other generic curries (you know what I mean!)

You’ll love how the sauce is thickened naturally using dried lentils cooked until they break down, and the neat trick to make the chickpeas beautifully creamy with just a pinch of baking soda. Two tricks I learnt from this Parkistani Lahori Chanay recipe from Sugar Spice & More on which this recipe is based. Though, the spicing ratios I created with reference to the chickpea curry in Parwana, a wonderful Afghan cookbook by Durkhanai Ayubi, and many “debates” with JB (see FAQ below for tales!).

I know this is a weird photo, but it’s my attempt at proof of creamy chickpeas – so soft you can “smear” them with the back of a spoon:

Ingredients in Afghan chickpea curry

Here’s what you need to make this. Just drop by your local grocery store!

1. THE Spices

Because we’re using a combination of spices, it means you can substitute and still end up with a tasty meal, even if the flavour is not exactly what it was intended to be. Handy!

• Cinnamon sticks (oops, photo below! 🙂 )- Sticks rather than powder sort of perfumes sauces in a more delicate way, especially when you toast it in the oil like we do here. If you don’t have sticks, cinnamon powder can be used instead. Just add it with the other powdered spices.

• Coriander and cumin powder – One of these can be substituted with either Garam Masala (better) or curry powder (like Clives, Keens – just regular western brands). If you do both though, it’s too much.

• Cardamom powder and ground cloves – One of these can be substituted with all spice or mixed spice.

• Turmeric powder – Substitute with a small amount of saffron powder (imitation is fine) plus ginger powder.

Note: I’ve seen versions of Afghan curries call for whole rather than ground cardamom and cloves. But for the sake of convenience and to make this midweek friendly, I’ve opted for powder. Picking out little cardamom pods and cloves or fiddling with spice sachets is beyond my reach on Mondays! Cinnamon sticks though, we can manage. 🙂

2. THE CURRY

• Dried red split lentils – Red lentils cook faster than other types, and split red lentils cook even faster (because they are literally the lentils split in half). They only take 10 minutes to cook but we deliberately overcook them here with a total simmer time of 45 minutes so they breakdown and thicken the sauce naturally.

  See expandable box below for using other types of dried lentils / split peas.

• Chickpeas – I use canned for convenience, as I’ve been making this as a mid-weeker. To use dried, use 1 1/2 cups (250g), once cooked this equates to around 3 cans of chickpeas.

• Baking soda (bi-carbonate soda) – The magic ingredient that makes these chickpeas meltingly tender and creamy inside! It’s magical. 🙂 We only use 1/4 teaspoon in a giant pot of curry, a tiny amount you won’t be able to taste.

• Ghee – A clarified butter commonly used in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking for its rich buttery flavour and high smoke point. Sold at large grocery stores here in Australia these days. Substitute in a pinch with butter or coconut oil.

• Ginger and garlic – Fresh, for maximum flavour impact! Finely grated.

• Bay leaves – Preferably fresh though dry is totally fine.

• Vegetable stock – The liquid for simmering. I tried with water and it was ok…..but I felt it was missing body.

How to make Melting Afghan Chickpea Curry

A nice, straightforward recipe. There’s a total simmer time of 45 minutes but it’s low maintenance, you don’t need to worry about stirring.

1. Toast cinnamon sticks – Melt the ghee (or butter) then toast the cinnamon sticks. This brings out the flavour and flavours the ghee too.

2. Sauté – Add the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for 3 minutes until the onion is translucent. Keep it moving so the garlic and ginger doesn’t catch.

3. Spices and lentils – Next, add the spices and toast them for 30 seconds, then in go the lentils. Stir to coat them in all the tasty spice flavour. Right about now, you know you’re onto something really tasty!

4. Simmer lentils – Add the stock and salt. Stir well and simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on.

5. Chickpeas – Then add the chickpeas, water and bakings soda. Simmer for a further 30 minutes with the lid off.

6. Ready to serve! During this second simmer time, the baking soda will work its magic and turn the chickpeas into the most creamy chickpeas you’ve ever had, and the lentils will breakdown to thicken the sauce. It will be like a thick soup consistency, not as thick as the sauce of popular Indian curries, like butter chicken. But it shouldn’t be watery – if it is, just keep simmering

   Then, it’s ready to serve!

What to serve with this Afghan chickpea curry

Serve in a bowl next to a steamy mound of basmati rice (I put it on the side rather than on top because the sauce is runnier than creamy curries). Or in a bowl like a hearty stew with flatbreads for dunking.

If you can find traditional Afghan flatbreads, lucky you! Especially the giant ones the size of small yoga mats – everybody loves ripping into them! Ryde locals – find them at Bahar Persian Food, Paradise Supermarket and 32 Bakehouse on Church Street. Excellent value ($6 for 2 big breads around 60cm/2 feet round), freezes perfectly.

Else – anything dunk-able will suffice, like shop bought Lebanese bread, flatbreads, or make your own. I promise this will still be one of the most fabulous chickpea curries you’ve had in a very long time. 🙂 Just wait until you experience those creamy chickpeas! – Nagi x

Melting Afghan Chickpea Curry FAQ

Why is it called “melting”?

How long will this keep?

Can I make this with other dried lentils or split peas?

How did you and JB work together to create this recipe?

Watch how to make it

Print

Melting Afghan chickpea curry

Recipe video above. I never knew chickpeas could be so meltingly creamy by adding a smidge of baking soda! I also love how the sauce is thickened by cooking lentils until they breakdown, two neat tricks picked up from this Pakistani Lahori Chanay by Sugar Spice & More. Combined with an Afghan spice mix from the chickpea curry in Parwana, a wonderful Afghan cookbook by Durkhanai Ayubi, adapted in pursuit of recreating the chickpea curry I had from Afghan Sufra in Lakemba, an area of Sydney known for its wonderful Middle Eastern and sub-continental food scene. I’m obsessed!

Course Main

Cuisine Afghan, Middle Eastern

Keyword afghan curry, Chickpea curry, easy chickpea curry

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 5 – 7 with rice

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp ghee , substitute unsalted butter or coconut oil (for vegan)
• 2 cinnamon sticks (sub 1/2 tsp powder, add with other spices)
• 1 onion , finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp grated ginger
• 1 1/2 tbsp grated garlic
• 2 bay leaves , preferably fresh else dried
• 1/2 cup dried red split lentils (Note 1)
• 1 cup water
• 1 litre vegetable stock , low sodium
• 1/2 tsp cooking / kosher salt
• 3 x 400g/14oz cans chickpeas , drained (Note 2)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda / bi-carbonate soda (makes chickpeas creamy, optional)

Spices (Note 3):

• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp cumin powder
• 1 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 3/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Serving:

• Basmati rice and/or Afghan bread (Note 4), or other flatbread
• Yogurt (I like to slightly thin with water so it can be drizzled)
• Fresh coriander / cilantro leaves , roughly chopped

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Sauté – Melt the ghee in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the cinnamon and toast for 30 seconds. Add the onion, ginger, garlic and bay leaves. Cook for 3 minutes until the onion is translucent (stir regularly so the garlic & ginger don't catch).
• Spices and lentils – Add the Spices and stir for 30 seconds. Add the lentils and stir to coat in the spices.
• Simmer lentils – Add the stock and salt. Stir, bring to a simmer. Lower the head to medium, put the lid on and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Simmer chickpeas – Add the chickpeas, water and baking soda. Increase the heat to make it simmer again. Then lower the stove slightly and leave to simmer gently for 30 minutes without a lid or until the lentils mostly broken down to make a thin gravy (you can cook an extra 10 minutes to thicken more if you want).
• Serve with rice on the side and Afghan or other flatbreads for dunking, drizzled with yogurt and sprinkled with fresh coriander if you want (I do).

Notes

1. Dried split lentils – deliberately selected as they cook fast (10 minutes), then we overcook so they break down a bit to thicken the sauce naturally. Other types of dried lentils/split peas, whole red lentils etc take longer so you’ll throw out timing, see the ingredients section for times for different types. Canned lentils – haven’t tried though I know it won’t be quite the same, it should work: drain, add with chickpeas (ie skip the entire lid-on simmer step). 

2. Chickpeas – This is even better if you cook your own dried chickpeas! 🙂 You will need 720g (4 1/2 cups) of cooked chickpeas – start with 1 1/2 cups of dried chickpeas.

3. Spice subs – Try not to skip or sub the turmeric and cardamom as they are what distinguishes this from Indian and other sub-continent curries made with similar spices. But, here are suggestions for swap outs (still tasty, though not as intended).

• Either coriander or cumin with curry powder or Garam Masala
• Cardamom or cloves – all spice or mixed spice
• Turmeric – 1/4 tsp imitation saffron powder plus 1/2 tsp ginger powder

4. Afghan bread – soft bread flatbread similar to Indian flatbreads that can be the size of small yoga mats! Ryde locals – find them at Bahar Persian Food, Paradise Supermarket and 32 Bakehouse on Church St, excellent value, freezes perfectly. Everybody loves ripping into the gigantic sheets of bread!

Leftovers will keep for 4 to 5 days in the fridge, or freezer for 3 months.

Life of Dozer

Director Dozer. He doesn’t realise it’s vegetarian. He didn’t use to care but these days he does, he only gets up when it’s “worth it”. 😂

Oh – he determined that this was definitely worth it. 🤣

The post Melting Afghan chickpea curry appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

This summer pasta salad is everything you want when it’s too hot to cook! Quick, nearly no cook (just boil pasta) and full of bright, fresh, bruschetta-inspired tomato flavours.

Also – a useful tip for how to store basil that actually really, truly works!

Bruschetta summer pasta salad

Every Christmas break, I have intentions of tackling ambitious bucket list recipes. Pâté en Croûte! Babi guling! Mole!

But instead of a 12 hour charcoal-roasted suckling pig, I find myself planning meals calling for minimal effort. Lazy mini pizzas. 3-minute smash burgers. And anything-goes pasta salads.

Today’s Bruschetta pasta salad was born from fridge scraps – tomatoes, leftover manchego cheese, random pasta, and rocket/arugula, tossed in a garlicky balsamic dressing. Simple yet delicious!

When work resumed last week, I made it properly (yes, I even went to the store!), switching basil for rocket, parmesan for manchego, and it was even better. Low effort, high reward – perfect for easing out of the summer holiday haze. Give it a try!

Ingredients for this summer pasta salad

In short, all you need is:

• pasta

• tomato

• basil

• balsamic

• garlic

• extra virgin olive oil

But for those of you wondering why, what if, and “what can I use instead of…..” – here’s the full version!

1. FOR THE PASTA SALAD

• Pasta – I used ziti / penne, but any short pasta will work great here. Bow ties (fun!), small shells, twirls etc.

  Really small pasta like risoni/orzo, tiny stars, novelty ones like alphabet shapes etc will also work but the volume of the pasta salad will reduce. Long pasta like spaghetti, fettuccine etc also works, though I prefer to serve it warm if using long pasta (I never got my head around cold long pasta).

• Tomato – Any size, colour or shape, small (eg cherry tomatoes) or large (I used what is sold as “truss tomatoes” here in Australia). Just make sure they are ripe! If not, but you are committed to making this, I recommend roasting the tomatoes to coax out flavour and sweetness. See FAQ below for directions.

• Basil – The classic herb herb used for bruschetta, because tomato and basil are the best of friends!

  If you don’t have it / expensive / out of season, add 1 1/2 tsp Italian herbs or other dried herbs of choice into the dressing instead, or use other fresh herbs eg parsley, dill, oregano. Tomatoes are friends with other herbs other than basil, you know! 🙂

• Parmesan – Not used in bruschetta, but I added this for a little flavour boost. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if you didn’t have parmesan but it is definitely a little tastier with.

2. OPTIONAL EXTRAS (if you’re feeling fancy)

The above is what I use for the base recipe, and it is delicious as is. It doesn’t need anything more, but if I want to elevate it, I like to add a drizzle of balsamic glaze and sprinkle of pine nuts. The tiniest touch of sweet/tart from the balsamic glaze and toasty nuttiness of pine nuts adds that extra little za za zoom to this pasta salad, and also looks good!

• Balsamic glaze – This is balsamic vinegar that has been reduced and has a syrupy consistency. It has a sweeter flavour than regular balsamic vinegar and is used for drizzling to finish dishes, like Caprese Salad. It looks great and adds a terrific pop of flavour.

  Can’t find it at the shops? Make your own. It’s so easy, it’s just simmer and reduce balsamic vinegar with a touch of sugar or honey. I’ve popped directions in the recipe notes.

• Pine nuts – It goes so well with the flavours in this pasta salad, a classic pairing with tomato and basil (like – pesto!). Feel free to leave it out or substitute with pepitas, sunflower seeds or

3. Dressing

We’re using a simple balsamic dressing today. I like the extra balsamic flavour it adds to the dish, and how it stains the pasta a warm brown colour.

• Balsamic vinegar – Any basic balsamic vinegar is fine though if you’ve got a quality aged one, now would be a good time to break it out!

• Extra virgin olive oil – As with the balsamic, the better the olive oil, the tastier the dressing.

• Garlic – The moment you smell the garlic hitting the hot pasta, you understand why we include it!

• Salt and pepper – Because dressing without salt is bland!

How to make bruschetta summer pasta salad

It’s simple. In a nutshell:

1. Toss cooked pasta and tomato (separately) with dressing, then leave for 10 – 15 minutes to absorb the flavour; then

2. Toss pasta with the tomato, basil and parmesan. Serve!

OK…..there’s a few minor little extra details, and there’s a reason for each. So for those interested in why we’re overcooking the pasta, why we salt the tomato later, why we pour off the tomato juices… here’s why!

1. Overcook pasta until soft – Cook the pasta in salted boiling water*. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes beyond the recommended time per the packet until the pasta is overly soft, well beyond al dente. Why? Because the pasta firms up when it cools, and gets even firmer when chilled in the fridge. Don’t be that person who serves up hard pasta salad!! Always overcook your pasta for pasta salads!

   * I really do recommend cooking pasta in salted water for pasta salads, to get a bit of salt into the pasta itself else the pasta can be a bit bland.
   

2. Dressing – While the pasta is cooking, shake up the dressing in a bottle. (Or whisk, if you want to be normal, but shaking is more effective).

3. Pasta flavour absorption – Drain your paste then put it back into the same pot (save washing up). Give the dressing a good shake then pour 2/3 of it over the pasta. Stir well – it will smell amazing! – then leave for 15 minutes until it cools to room temperature, during which time the pasta will absorb the dressing flavour. YUM.

4. Chop tomatoes – Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes into 1 cm / 0.8″ squares, reserving all the watery juices (it becomes part of the pasta salad dressing). Don’t chop too small, else it becomes salsa-ish and becomes hard to eat with a fork.

   My technique: cut slices, stack, then cut into square(ish) pieces. For the root piece, I cut around the root then chop into squares.

5. Marinate tomato – Transfer the tomato and all the watery juices into a large bowl. Pour over all the remaining dressing, then gently toss. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes for the flavours to meld, or however long you’ve got remaining for the pasta to cool.

   ⚠️ Don’t leave the tomato for much longer than 15 minutes else it might get a little too soft and mushy.

6. Tomato juices – Pour the tomato juices over the pasta salad then toss the pasta. I do this before adding the tomato to minimise the tossing once the tomato is added as the tomato is a bit delicate so we don’t want to bash it around too much. Also, I want to salt the tomato before adding it into the pasta salad.

7. Salt the tomato – Then sprinkle salt across the tomato and gently toss to mix through. We do this at the end else the salt draws too much liquid out of the tomato.

8. Finish – Add the tomato into the pasta, plus the basil and parmesan. Then gently stir to combine before pouring into a serving bowl.

Spruce it with balsamic glaze and pine nuts

Now, you can absolutely stop here and you’ll be happy, satisfied and probably feeling a little smug that you’re enjoying such a tasty meal that called for such minimal effort.

However, if you happen to be making this Bruschetta Summer Pasta Salad to take somewhere, or if your mother-in-law dropped in for a surprise visit, or if you’re making this for a team lunch and your team happens to be filled with actual real chefs, then you might want to add the extra touch and finish it off with a little drizzle of balsamic glaze and pine nuts. It looks good and adds an extra pop of flavour and it’s low effort.

So, now that I’ve confessed my lazy Christmas-break cooking sins, it’s your turn for confession. Tell me your secrets, I want to know! (And don’t be surprised if an iteration of it appears on this website at some point. 😈 I promise I’ll credit you!) – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

PS I forgot to add salt into the tomato, as per the recipe below. I realised when I ate the video version, it was a little under seasoned! 🙂

Print

Bruschetta summer pasta salad

Recipe video above. This is everything you want when it's too hot to cook! Quick, nearly no cook (just boil pasta) and full of bright, fresh, bruschetta-inspired tomato flavours.

Workflow – Get the water boiling. While pasta is cooking, make dressing and chop tomatoes.

Course cold pasta salad, pasta salad

Cuisine Western

Keyword pasta salad, summer pasta salad, tomato pasta salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Cooling 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6 as a meal, 10 as a side

Calories 580cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 500g/1 lb penne , ziti or other short pasta
• 2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt , for cooking pasta

Bruschetta

• 1 kg / 2 lb tomatoes , chopped into 1.25cm / 1/2” pieces, keep all juices (Note 2)
• 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (Note 3)
• 3/4 cup tightly packed basil leaves , finely sliced (Note 1)
• 1/2 cup (tightly packed) finely shredded parmesan

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (good time to break out the good stuff)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves , minced using garlic press or very finely minced using knife
• 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (Note 3)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Optional extra finishes (Note 4)

• 1/4 cup pinenuts , toasted
• Balsamic glaze , for drizzling (Note 6)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Short directions

• Cook pasta in salted water until extra soft, toss with 2/3 Dressing, cool. Toss tomato with remaining Dressing, leave 10 min. Pour off juices into pasta, toss. Add 1/2 tsp salt into tomato, toss. Add into pasta with basil, parmesan. Finish with balsamic glaze and pine nuts. Enjoy!

Full directions

• Dressing – Shake the ingredients in a jar (or whisk in a jug).
• Soft cooked pasta – Bring a large pot of water to the boil with the 2 teaspoons of salt. Cook the pasta per the packet time plus 2 minutes, until the pasta is overcooked and soft. (Note 5) Drain in a colander, then return the pasta into the same pot.
• Flavour the pasta – Give the dressing a good shake then pour 2/3 of it over the pasta. Stir (enjoy the smell!). Set aside to cool for 15 minutes and let the pasta absorb the dressing flavour.
• Bruschetta – Put chopped tomato and all watery juices into a bowl. Pour over remaining Dressing, gently toss. Set aside for 10 minutes or until the pasta is cool to let the flavours meld.
• Finishing (the order matters!) – Pour the juices accumulated in the tomato bowl into the pasta then toss to disperse. Add the salt into the tomato, gently toss, then add the tomato into the pasta. Add the basil, parmesan, gently toss.
• Serve – Pour into a big bowl and serve! If using extra finishes, drizzle with a swish of balsamic glaze (not too much, it's strong!) and sprinkle with pine nuts. Eat!

Notes

1. Basil – If you don’t have it / expensive / out of season, add 1 1/2 tsp Italian herbs or other dried herbs of choice into the dressing instead, or use other fresh herbs eg parsley, dill, oregano – tomatoes are friends with other herbs other than basil, you know! 🙂

2. Tomatoes – Any type, any colour, sweet, juicy and ripe are of course best. If yours are not but you’re committed to making this, roast to coax out sweetness. See FAQ above for directions.

3. Salt – If you don’t have cooking salt / kosher salt, halve for table salt, increase 25% for salt flakes.

4. Optional extras to elevate, but this pasta salad is flavourful without so don’t feel obliged! Use for serving bowl if part of a buffet, or individual bowls if serving yourself at home (better distribution per person).

5. Extra soft pasta – Pasta firms up when cold so when it’s extra soft hot = perfect texture cold in pasta salads. Nobody wants rock hard pasta in their cold pasta salads! 🙂

6. Homemade balsamic glaze is easy! 1 cup balsamic vinegar plus 1 tbsp brown sugar in a saucepan, bring to simmer over medium high then reduce to medium low and simmer until it reduces to a thin syrup (it should coat a spoon). Don’t make it too thick because it thickens quite a lot when it cools! Use cool. Will keep for weeks in the fridge.

Leftovers will keep for 2 days in the fridge though the tomato is a bit softer than ideal. Not suitable for freezing.

Nutrition per serving assuming 6 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 580cal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 1410mg | Potassium: 640mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1456IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 2mg

Life of Dozer

Take a peek into my camera roll for a Christmas break Dozer catch up! There was our annual Christmas Nagi/Dozer selfie attempt fail:

There were Christmas outfits…

There were ice packs to help cool him down on extra hot days (and it was blazing hot this Christmas!)…

And there was AI Dozer. Yes, this is what AI produced!!

In a nutshell, Christmas 2024 was very good to Dozer, a suitable end to what has been his most challenging year to date. He spend a lot of time surrounded by his favourite people, at the beach, receiving plenty of special tasty treats, and spent a lot of time doing this:

It’s ok, I had a towel on the ground beside him to lie on. 😂

The post Bruschetta summer pasta salad appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

The big-batch easy pasta salad I make when I’m short on time. People always ask why it tastes so good. I’ll let you in on my secrets! (No bottled dressing involved.)

My big, easy pasta salad

Newsflash! You don’t need a gazillion add-ins to make a great pasta salad. You don’t need pricey ingredients like baby bocconcini, you don’t need to buy multiple bunches of herbs (and just use a teeny amount of each) and you don’t need much time.

All you need to do is toss hot, freshly cooked pasta in a simple, tangy, Dijon cider vinegar dressing then set it aside while the pasta cools. You will be shocked how much flavour the pasta soaks up! Which means, before we’ve even added anything, your pasta salad is already great. So whatever you toss in will make it even better!

Pasta salad tips galore!

Also today – more pasta salad tips. I feel it says a lot about me that I have so many thoughts about a simple pasta salad! 😂

1. Overly soft pasta – Cook the pasta until it’s well beyond al dente and is overly-soft. Because pasta goes hard when it cools down, and even harder when fridge cold. Nobody likes rock hard pasta salad!

2. Smidge of honey – To take the edge off the sharpness of the vinegar so we can get away with using less oil in the dressing. I just don’t think pasta salads should be excessively oily. Even with my macaroni salad, I lighten the mayo dressing with a good amount of yogurt.

3. Streamlined ingredient combination – A selection of add-ins chosen to get all the flavour and texture I seek in a pasta salad using the minimum number of ingredients I can get away with. Keeping well overnight also essential! My picks: juicy pops (tomato), subtle crunch from finely sliced cucumber, briney spark (olives), a treat (feta) and a finishing touch (basil, or any of the numerous suggestions in the recipe notes).

Of course, feel free to wing-it, use what you’ve got and what you love. Such is the beauty of pasta salads – the versatility!

Here’s what you need for this pasta salad

1. the pasta

Any shortish and medium pasta will work here, though pasta shapes with nooks and crannies for the little chopped up bits of olives and feta to get caught in are especially ideal. Think – shells, orecchiette, twirls and bow ties (farfalle). I chose bow ties because – fun!

2. PASTA SALAD ADD-INS

And here’s what I put into the pasta salad (see above for the why).

• Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes – Or chop large tomatoes

• Kalamata olives roughly chopped. Brings pops of briny goodness into this pasta salad. Excellent shortcut as it adds salt, tang and sharp freshness which means I don’t feel the need to add anything onion-y in this recipe ie. one less ingredient to chop. For this salad I like to roughly chop the olives so it disperses better all throughout the pasta salad. Higher impact using less olives!

  💡 TIP: Kalamata olives really are so much tastier and have a more pleasant soft tender than black olives which are cheaper for a reason!

• Cucumbers – I like to finely slice them so they flop a bit and meld to become one with the pasta, rather than using larger chunks that release bursts of water and dilutes the flavour in your mouth when you bite into them. Yes, these are the sort of things that I care about -> Cooking Nerd Alert! 🫣

• Feta – It’s a general rule in my life that every salad (other than basic plain side salads) should have some sort of “treat” in it, whether it be nuts or croutons, a mountain of crisped panko or finely grated parmesan. Feta plays that role in today’s pasta salad.

  💡 TIP: Not all feta is created equal! Feta made in Greece and labelled “PDO” (“Protected Designation of Origin”) are a step up from the more economic options offered at grocery stores. Try it once and forever be converted.

• Basil or another finishing touch – I like to finish off this pasta salad with a finishing touch which puts it in “take to gatherings” territory. Here in Australia, we’re pretty lucky, basil is available and reasonably priced most of the year around. However, if I can’t get it (or won’t pay the price for it), here are other things I use instead which plays the same role:

  – Another fresh herb: dill (first choice), or parsley or parsley + mint (second choice);
  – Toasted pine nuts: I like to roughly chop half to really get the bits well dispersed throughout;
  – Dried oregano: I add this into my dressing to give it an extra hit of flavour to compensate. This is my last resort fall-back, because dried oregano is a pantry staple. Then I tell people it’s a Greek Pasta Salad, and totally get away with it!

3. THE dijon-cider vinegar DRESSING

I specifically make this dressing using pantry staples so I can make this pasta salad anytime without going to the store. It gets a great hit of flavour from Italian herbs (customisable), two plump garlic cloves and a smidge of Dijon mustard.

Heads up: the dressing is quite sharp and intense by itself. But it has to be because it gets tossed through a LOT of stuff so it gets really diluted and we end up with the perfect amount of flavour in every bite!

• Extra virgin olive oil – You don’t need to use a really high quality one for this pasta salad, like I sometimes recommend for salad dressings. But just be sure to use extra virgin olive oil which has more flavour than regular olive oil.

• Apple cider vinegar – My go-to vinegar for dressings. Not too sharp, mild flavour and very economical.

• Dijon mustard – This thickens the dressing a touch so it coats the pasta and vegetables better as well as adding a little flavour. It’s not a dominant flavour, it’s a background flavour.

• Honey – Just 2 teaspoons takes the edge off the sharpness of the vinegar so we can make a far less oily dressing. This recipe uses 1/3 cup vinegar with 1/2 cup oil (2: 3 ratio), which has the right amount of oil for my taste. However, it was a little sharp and an easy way to dial that down without adding more oil is to add a touch of something sweet (honey, in this case).

  In contrast, for typical western salad dressings, 1/3 cup vinegar would usually call for 1 cup of oil (1 : 3 ratio) which makes this pasta salad far too oily for my taste.

• Italian herb mix – A standard spice mix at grocery stores, a pre made mix of herbs and spices that saves me reaching for 7 different jars. You could easily switch to another herb mix like Herbs de Provence, or use just dried oregano or finely chopped fresh herbs (dill immediately comes to mind).

• 2 garlic cloves – You’ll love the smell of the garlic when it gets tossed through the hot pasta!

• Salt and pepper – We don’t need much salt, just 3/4 teaspoon for this entire big batch because we get salt from the feta and olives too.

How to make this Big, Easy Pasta Salad

If you’ve got decent chopping skills, you’ll be able to get the add-ins chopped while the pasta is cooking. Which basically means your active cooking / prep time is barely 15 minutes which is highly efficient for this amount of food! (It will easily serve 5 to 6 as a meal, many more as part of a buffet spread at a gathering).

1. Dressing – Shake the Dressing ingredients in a jar.

2. Overcook the pasta – There’s a reason for this strange sounding instruction!!! We want to cook the pasta until it’s beyond al dente so it is very soft because pasta gets firmer when it cools down, and even harder when refrigerated. Nobody wants rock-hard pasta in their pasta salad!!

   So cook the pasta until it is very soft, about 2 to 3 minutes beyond the time directed on the packet, which would be unpleasantly soft for a pasta dish served hot. But once your pasta salad is dressed and cooled to room temperature or refrigerated overnight, the pasta that was overly soft when hot is the perfect texture when cold!

3. Flavour absorption – Pour the hot pasta into a big bowl (big enough to toss the pasta salad with all the vegetables added). Pour over half the Dressing then toss well.

   Then leave the pasta to soak up the flavour of the Dressing until it cools down to room temperature, around 40 minutes. Toss once or twice, it you remember.

4. Toss – Add the tomato, cucumber, feta and olives. Pour over remaining Dressing and toss well. Expect some feta crumbling – some chunks, some crumbled is good!

5. Basil last – Tear the basil leaves roughly with your hands then toss through.

6. Serve! Pour the pasta salad into a large serving bowl. Then dig in!

Matters of storage and make ahead

As all good pasta salads should be, this is excellent served freshly made, just as good (some say even better) the next day, and still very, very good for another 2 days.

If I’m making ahead intentionally to take to a gathering, I will keep the basil leaves separate and throw them in at the least minute so they are nice and green. But for leftovers, it really doesn’t bother me in the slightest that the basil becomes discoloured.

Whether you serve it freshly made or tomorrow, I recommend serving it at room temperature! As with most foods, you just can’t taste the flavours as well when it’s fridge cold. Though when I need to eat right now, it certainly doesn’t deter me from eating it straight from the fridge! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Print

Nagi’s Big, Easy Pasta Salad

Recipe video above. This is the big-batch pasta salad I make when I'm short on time. The trick that puts this into guest-serving territory is to toss the hot, freshly cooked pasta in the dressing. You will be shocked how much flavour it absorbs!

Do this, and it's delicious no matter what you add in. My combination is the bare minimum that delivers everything I seek in a pasta salad. There's no need to add a gazillion ingredients!

Workflow – Chop the veg and make the dressing while the pasta is cooking. This will cut down active cook/prep time to 15 minutes.

Course cold pasta salad, Mains, pasta salad, Side

Cuisine Western

Keyword cold pasta salad, easy pasta salad, pasta salad

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Cooling 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6 – 12

Calories 617cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 500g/ 1 lb bow tie pasta (farfalle) , or other short/medium pasta (Note 1)

Add-ins (7 cups "anything" – Note 2)

• 2 cucumbers , halved lengthways and finely sliced (~17cm/7" long, sliced 2mm / 1/16", I use a mandolin)
• 3 cups (500g) cherry or grape tomatoes , halved (or chop 4 regular tomatoes)
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped Kalamata olives (3/4 cup whole pitted or 1/2 cup sliced, then chop)
• 200g/ 7oz Greek feta , cut into 6mm / 1/4" batons (they will crumble a bit, this is good)
• 1 packed cup basil leaves , torn by hand (Note 2 for alternatives)

Dressing

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (Note 3)
• 2 garlic cloves , minced using garlic press or very finely minced using a knife
• 2 tsp dijon mustard (can omit)
• 2 tsp honey (sub maple syrup or 1 tsp sugar, Note 4)
• 1 1/2 tsp Italian herbs mix (Note 5)
• 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Summary directions

• Cook pasta until soft, toss with 2/3 Dressing, cool. Toss with everything else except basil, then add basil. Serve!

Full directions

• Dressing – Shake the Dressing ingredients in a large jar. It should be sharp, the flavour mellows once tossed.
• Cook pasta until soft – Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta until it is very soft, about 2 – 3 minutes longer than the time on the packet but taste to check because packet directions have been known to lie! Pasta firms up when it's cold (nobody likes hard, cold pasta!), so cook the pasta until extra soft.
• Flavour soak – Drain the pasta very well, shaking off excess water. Transfer into a large bowl. Give the Dressing a good shake then pour over about two-thirds. Toss well, then leave the pasta to soak up the dressing as it cools (~40 minutes).
• Toss – Add the tomato, cucumber, feta and olives. Pour over the remaining Dressing. Toss well. Add basil, toss again.
• Serve – Tumble into big serving bowl. Dig in!

Notes

Servings – Makes enough for 5 to 6 as a meal, or 12+ as part of a buffet table at a gathering.

---

1. Pasta shape – Shells, twirls, orecchiette are ideal. See in post for thoughts. I encourage you to use a shape that has nooks and crannies for little bits of olives and feta to get caught in!

2. Alternative add-ins: Feel free to use your favourites! Other fresh veg, antipasto-ey things. Here are specific “best sub” suggestions to keep the flavour profile similar to my recipe:

• Cucumber – celery
• Tomato – Grilled or baked red capsicum/red peppers and zucchini hunks
• Olives – capers, finely sliced red onion
• Basil alternatives I use:
  • Equal first choice: 1/2 cup roughly chopped dill or 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts (half roughly chopped)
  • Second choice: 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley leaves or 1/4 cup each parsley and mint leaves (finely chopped)
  • Fall back: Add 1 teaspoon dried oregano into the Dressing.

•  

3. Other vinegars – white or red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, champagne vinegar.

4. Smidge of honey – Takes edge off sharpness of vinegar so we can get away with using way less oil than the typical 1:3 vinegar to oil ratio. Good trick for cutting down on oil in dressings! 🙂

5. Italian herb mix – Just the regular mix from any grocery store. Sub with another mix like Herbs de Provence, or dried oregano.

Storage – Keeps well for 3 days! At its prime on the day of making and next day, still every good on day for 2 more days. If intentionally making ahead to take somewhere, take the basil separately and add it in just before serving. Best served at room temp rather than fridge cold, toss well just before serving.

Nutrition per serving assuming 6 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 617cal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 915mg | Potassium: 555mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 692IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 225mg | Iron: 3mg

Life of Dozer

Did you jump down here to check out what Dozer is up to before checking out the recipe?? Busted! But – you know I secretly whole heartedly approve. What recipe?? 😂

When you hear a pathetic wail from the front of the house and open the door to see this:

The door closed on him when he waddled outside without my knowledge to do something extraordinary (no doubt), and he was fretting.

At least I know I don’t have to worry about him running away these days!!! Too old, too slow, too much of a home boy. 🥰

And later that day, back at our old stomping ground Bayview dog beach in the Northern Beaches, saying hi to Jeff the friendly local who lives at the dog park. Jeff is well! Still regaling everyone with terrible jokes (he takes sooo long to get to the punchline! 😂) and looking after the park like it’s his own backyard. We are so lucky to have him as part of our community. 🙂

The post Nagi’s Big, Easy Pasta Salad appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.