Summer Pasta Salad

Apparently I have yet to outgrow Highlights magazine.

I know what you’re thinking…..

“Yeah, I used to read that too!!

“Then I turned 5.”

The magazine showed up in the mail at my office one day (why? still not sure….)

I let nostalgia take over as I thumbed through it, harking back to my second grade days when I would search for the differences between two similar pictures (I mean, come on, those things were tricky!)

Then my eye caught the very last page. A creamy pasta salad. Complete with instructional pictures of a Dad and his sweet son (using a plastic knife to cut tomatoes, mind you. Safety first.)

So with a few modifications (and a grown-up knife), I created a tasty Highlights pasta salad.

2 c. brown rice pasta
1 can garbanzo beans
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
4 oz. block goat cheese
1/4 c. olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Sea salt & pepper to taste


Cook pasta. Drain and keep warm.
Drain can of beans and place in a large bowl. Add frozen peas and cherry tomatoes.
Crumble the goat cheese into the bowl. Add olive oil, vinegar, salt & pepper.
Add warm pasta and stir until the goat cheese melts into a creamy sauce.
Serve warm or cold.


Not half bad for a simple recipe meant for 5 year olds.

I’ve found I’m not the biggest fan of chickpeas in their whole form (I prefer them mashed into hummus), so next time I might try cannellini beans.

What is your favorite pasta salad recipe?