summersalad

Summer Salad

  • Serves 4
  • Prep time: 20 mins | Cooking time: 10 mins

A tasty ham and olive pasta salad with blue cheese dressing - perfect as a side at a BBQ!

This recipe is also a part of our Pork Recipe Collection.

Ingredients

  • 1 pack pasta (500g)

  • 50g blue cheese

  • 1 tsp mustard powder

  • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

  • juice of 1 lemon

  • 2 Tbsp mayonnaise

  • 2 cloves garlic or 2 tsp crushed garlic

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil

  • 150ml sour cream

  • 200g ham

  • 100g olives

  • 1 small bunch spring onions

  • 50g sun-dried tomatoes or use fresh cherry tomatoes

Method

  1. Cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente (just firm to the bite). Drain and refresh under cold water then drain again.

  2. To make the dressing, blend the blue cheese, mustard powder, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, mayonnaise, garlic, olive oil and sour cream together.

  3. Mix cooked pasta with ham, olives, spring onions, tomatoes and enough of the blue cheese dressing to coat. Serve with fresh bread, salad greens and a glass of your favourite white wine.

Tips

  • Don’t like blue cheese? Swap out for feta for the same creamy texture in your salad dressing.

FAQs

  • Can you overcook pasta? Yes! If you overcook the pasta it will become soft and mushy and will not hold its shape in the salad. Be sure to follow the directions for how long to cook the pasta.

  • What olives are best in this salad? Use whatever pitted olives are your favourite! We love traditional black or green olives, or even kalamata olives!