I’m prepping for a beach trip with a few other ladies and I thought I’d share this beautiful little pasta salad. It’s a dessert salad but there is no mayo or marshmallows or weird stuff like in Midwestern dessert salads. I mean, I like those salads, but this one seems healthier. And because of the no mayo thing it is safe to take to the beach or on a picnic.
The recipe comes from me after piecing together what goes into a similar salad at the pasta salad stand at Roots Country Market in Manheim, PA. The proprietor lists the ingredients but obviously not the measurements so I improvised. What I like about this salad is its versatility; the basic ingredients are just categories and you can customize the salad to your taste.
The main ingredients are:
- 1 regular container of non-dairy dessert topping
- 1/3 box of very small pasta (Pastina or Acini di Pepe)
- Fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, mini chocolate chips, etc. to taste
That’s it! Thaw the dessert topping if it is frozen. Cook the pasta and drain using a mesh strainer (you could use cheesecloth, too). Rinse with cold water until the pasta is cool.
In a bowl, mix pasta, dessert topping, and fruit. I used a package of sweetened dried blueberries, ½ c. fresh pitted and quartered cherries, and 1/2 c. cocoa almonds as well as a healthy sprinkle of chia seeds.
I used this Pinterest trick to pit the cherries using a straw. Not bad for a small batch, though it I was doing a lot of cherries I’d want to use a real pitter.
That’s it! Refrigerate and serve cold. Now, cross your fingers that I don’t get eaten by sharks out there!