Beat the summer heat with our cool and fresh High-Protein Summer Salad featuring tender roast beef, sweet corn, and Roma tomatoes, tossed in a tangy cacao vinegar dressing. Perfect for a refreshing lunch or light dinner on hot days.
Tangy Pasta Salad
(*with beef, vegetarian and pescatarian options)
Ingredients:
- 1/2 tsp Hawaiian garlic salt
- 1/2 lb thinly sliced eye of round beef, cut into 1-inch pieces (Boar's Head roast beef can be a delicious replacement, sliced slightly thicker than a sandwich slice, most grocery stores specify the thick slice as a 'number 4 or 5' thickness)
- 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 lb (about 1 box) pasta - see our local favorites below!
- 1 cup fresh corn cut from the cob (or 1 cup canned corn, drained)
- 1/4 cup Hawaiian Vinegar & Spice Company Banana Vinegar
- 1/4 cup Hawaiian Vinegar & Spice Company Garden Herb Shrub
- 1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 1 lb butter lettuce, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional: Freshly grated Parmesan or crumbled feta cheese for garnish
Vegetarian/Pescatarian Alternatives:
Replace beef in this recipe with one (or all) of the following. Cooking instructions for these items linked below.
- 2 cups garbanzo beans (chickpeas) or white beans simmered with chopped garlic and diced onions, cool before placing on salad.
- 1 package hard tofu, Grilled pre-season tofu with garlic salt before grilling
- Tender wild-caught salmon, cooked to medium in the oven with a sprinkle of lemon juice and cacao vinegar, sprinkled with garlic powder and salt. Let cool and flake over salad.
Local Pasta:
On Hawaii Island: We LOVE Kai'n Pasta made fresh in Hilo.
On Oahu: We LOVE Onda Pasta made fresh on Oahu and delivered to your door by Farm Link Hawaii.
Instructions:
- Cook the Pasta:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add the bow tie pasta and cook according to the package instructions, usually 10-12 minutes, until al dente.
- Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
- Prepare the Beef:
- Cut the cooked eye of round beef roast or Boar’s Head roast beef into 1-inch pieces.
- How to cook eye of round beef roast linked here.
- Assemble the Salad:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked pasta, pre-cooked beef (or alternative proteins like garbanzo beans, tofu, or salmon), chopped Roma tomatoes, chopped parsley, fresh corn, and thinly sliced sweet onion.
- Add the vanilla lilikoi salad dressing and toss to coat all the ingredients evenly.
- Prepare Butter Lettuce Base:
- Arrange a bed of chopped butter lettuce on serving plates.
- Season the lettuce with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the Salad:
- Spoon the chilled pasta and beef salad over the prepared butter lettuce.
- Garnish (Optional):
- Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan or crumbled feta cheese over the salad before serving.
- Chill and Enjoy:
- Serve chilled and enjoy this unique and flavorful salad!
- Pair with a delicious Herb Garden Shrub Soda topped with fresh mint sprigs as a refreshing garnish.