Green bean & penne salad with tomato and olive dressing

Make a speedy pasta salad tossed with a healthy tomato and basil dressing for a low-calorie, vegetarian lunch that packs in three of your 5-a-day

  • Prep:10 mins
    Cook:12 mins
  • Serves 2
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 265
  • fat 8g
  • saturates 1g
  • carbs 36g
  • sugars 10g
  • fibre 9g
  • protein 9g
  • salt 0.3g

Ingredients

  • 75g wholemeal penne
  • 160g green beans, trimmed and cut into short lengths
  • 1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 10g basil leaves
  • 4 Kalamata olives, chopped
  • large handful rocket

Tip

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Boost the protein

If you're following the vegetarian menu of our Healthy Diet Plan, add 80g of thinly sliced, pan-fried halloumi to your salad for a cheesy protein boost. Fry the slices for around 30 seconds each side until golden.

Method

  1. Boil the pasta in a pan of water for 5 mins. Add the beans and onion, return to the boil and cook for 5 mins more.

  2. Meanwhile, put the tomatoes in a bowl with the oil, vinegar and basil (saving a couple of leaves), then blitz with a hand blender to make a dressing.

  3. Drain the pasta and beans, tip into the dressing, add the olives and mix well. Spoon onto plates and top with the basil leaves and rocket, or pack into lunchboxes, cool, then top with the rocket and basil. Can be chilled for up to one day ahead.

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