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Broccoli raisin pasta salad just might be the easiest side dish you’ll ever make. Oh, and this 5 ingredient, healthy pasta salad recipe is one my kids love!
Sometimes, all it takes to get your kids to try something new is to starve them a little bit. What I mean is, wait until they are really hungry. Then, feed them something new that you want them to try. When my kids were younger, I didn’t use this sneaky technique, but now that they’re teenagers, I do it. And it works! Well, for the most part.
In the case of this broccoli raisin pasta salad, the boys love it because they have always been fans of broccoli. When they were younger, I would add it to macaroni and cheese. Because everything tastes better with cheese, right? ????
A lot of times on the weekends when we have nice weather, we like to eat our meals outside. This broccoli raisin pasta salad is perfect for that. I serve it along with pizza flatbreads or tortilla roll-ups for lunch, or along with burgers from the grill for dinner.
One of the great benefits of this easy pasta salad is that the dressing is just lightly seasoned olive oil. No heavy mayo, so it can stay out in the heat without going bad.
This is a quick and healthy little number that I actually like, and my boys like it enough to request it now! Sometimes, I add leftover chicken or cubed tofu for protein. Yes, I said tofu. The boys will eat that in small doses. In fact, tofu picks up the flavors of whatever it is cooked with, so it works well as a protein for vegetarians.
I hope that you and your family enjoy this healthy broccoli raisin pasta salad!
Total Servings 6 servings
A healthy pasta salad with broccoli, raisins, and a simply seasoned olive oil dressing.
5 minPrep (inc. refrigeration & rest time)
12 minCook Time
17 minTotal Time
Ingredients
- 1 pound whole wheat penne or mini penne pasta
- 1 large head of broccoli, florets only
- Olive oil
- salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup raisins (I use a mix of brown and golden)
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Boil the pasta according to package instructions. In the last 3 minutes, throw in the broccoli so it can cook just a little.
- Drain both and toss into a large serving bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Add coarse salt and fresh pepper to taste and at the end, sprinkle on the red pepper flakes, raisins and cheese.
- Toss to combine and serve.
More easy pasta salad recipes you might want to try:
Vegetarian Pasta Salad {Guest Post}
Summer Vegetable Orzo Pasta Salad
