Balsamic Strawberry Pasta Salad with chopped walnuts, crumbled feta and salad greens – made in 20 minutes or less with 10 ingredients! Gluten Free + Vegetarian + Low FODMAP
Strawberry season is finally rolling in again here in the UK and I for one am PUMPED. Despite the brisk winds and persistent grey skies outside I can’t help but feel just a teensy bit summery when biting into a thick, juicy red berry.
In between leftover servings of this Balsamic Strawberry Pasta I’ve also been making the most our of the season by sipping on creamy strawberry shakes, making strawberry crumb bars, granitas, lemonades and more!
As mentioned above this recipe is incredibly easy to make. You only need 10 basic ingredients (including things like salt, pepper & oil – those barely even count) and less than 20 minutes to prepare. All it takes is the time it takes to boil your pasta plus a little extra time to throw it all together.
Despite being such a low effort pasta it really packs in the flavour.
Easy!
How to Make: Balsamic Strawberry Pasta Salad
While your pasta is boiling get started on prepping the rest of salad. In a small mixing bowl combine:
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar (or a balsamic glaze!)
- salt and pepper
- maple syrup
- hulled & sliced berries
Simply whisk it all together and then gently toss in your berries. It may seem a little strange if you’ve never tried it this way before but the balsamic + black pepper really do a lot to intensify the sweetness of the strawberries.
Once the pasta is finished cooking, drain and rinse under cold water to cool it all down. When you’re ready to assemble add the pasta to a large mixing bowl – make sure it’s big enough for you to be able to toss/mix your salad thoroughly. Add the salad greens, strawberry mixture, walnuts and feta and toss it all together.
Done!
If you’re looking for a salad that’s fast, simple and big on flavour this summer than this Balsamic Strawberry Pasta Salad is definitely for you!
Better yet – it’s also low FODMAP friendly & vegetarian making it a great option to bring to summer cookouts and BBQ’s. If you’re looking to make it vegan you can always ditch the cheese.
I hope you enjoy this as much as we do!
Balsamic Strawberry Pasta Salad
Balsamic Strawberry Pasta Salad with chopped walnuts, crumbled feta and salad greens - made in 20 minutes or less with 10 ingredients! Gluten Free + Vegetarian + Low FODMAP
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sea salt for pasta water
- 1 pound gluten free fusilli
- 1/3 cup | 80 ml olive oil
- 2 tablespoons | 30 ml balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, can sub with honey but will no longer be low FODMAP
- 1/4 teaspoons salt & pepper each
- 2 cups | 250 grams strawberries, stems removed and sliced
- 3 cups salad greens, arugula, spinach, lettuce, etc
- 1/2 cup | 70 grams walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup | 2 oz feta, crumbled
Instructions
- Fill large pot of water 2/3 of the way full and add salt. Bring the water to a boil and then carefully add in the pasta. Cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente - springy & chewy & not mushy. It should take about 10 minutes. Make sure to stir often. Gluten free pasta likes to clump so you really need to keep it moving to prevent it from sticking together.
- In a small mixing bowl add the 1/3 cup olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Add the strawberries and toss in the oil mixture. Place the bowl in the fridge until ready to use.
- When the pasta is done, drain the boiling water and rinse under cold water to cool it down and keep it from cooking. Drain well.
- Add the pasta to a large bowl and pour the oil/strawberry mixture over the top. Add the salad greens, walnuts and feta and toss well to combine and coat everything in the dressing. Add more salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar as needed.
- Serve cold or at room temperature and enjoy!
Notes
This recipe keeps well for several days in the refrigerator, covered. If you want to spruce up leftovers add some fresh greens/strawberries before re-serving.Â
Rebecca says
Maxe it with avocado, not sure if that keeps it FODMAP, as I’m not sure what that is, but it was amazing.
Sarah Nevins says
That sounds like a lovely addition! I believe you can have half an avocado on a low fodmap diet, but if it’s not something you need to follow for health reasons I say have at it!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know what you thought!
Jack @ BBQ Recipez says
This was delicious! It was so easy and we all loved it so much. A keeper for sure.
Sarah says
Thanks Jack! Really glad you liked it!
Jessica Robinson says
Holy beautiful and flavorful salad, just in time for strawberry season!! I think I’m going to sub Goat’s cheese instead because I’m not a huge fan of feta. But oh my goodness what amazing flavors!! Your pics are gorgeous too!
Sarah says
Thanks Jessica! Goats cheese would be lovely with this!
Liz says
What a fun idea!! I’ve never had strawberries with pasta but I can’t wait to try this!
Sarah says
Hope you love it as much as we do!
Julia says
What a great salad for summer! Love your photos 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks Julia!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Love the sweet and savoury combination in this salad! So perfect for the upcoming summer months! Bet this would be lovely with chicken too to make for a substantial dinner 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks Dawn! I like the way you think!
Jill says
This salad is perfect for picnic weather. Pinned it to my Picnic board!
Sarah says
Thanks Jill!