Sun-Dried Tomato + Walnut + Chèvre Pasta Salad

This pasta salad has been in my meal prep arsenal for years and years, even before I went gluten-free. In fact, I remember making it with whole-grain pasta because I thought that was so much better for me than the regular 😏. Anywho, this dish has entertained many a dinner party guest and remains one of my favorite recipes to this day! Here’s the story behind it:

I was lucky enough to spend a few months in Paris during my college years, and while there I quickly and unequivocally became obsessed with chèvre.

There’s a common menu item in Parisian cafés called Salade au chèvre chaud and let me tell you it is delicious!! I ordered it every time I went out to eat. Partly because I felt comfortable pronouncing it in French 😂 but mostly because I loved it so much. It’s essentially a roll of chèvre on toast (cheese + bread in a French dish.. checks out), broiled to perfection and placed on a bed of greens. There were usually toasted walnuts and tomatoes involved as well. And I swear there was some honey in there too.. either on the cheese or in the dressing. If you’re not cutting out sugar, definitely whisk some honey into the EVOO or balsamic vinegar before dressing your salad 😉.

This recipe takes me back every time, and I hope you’ll love it too!

Print Recipe

Sun-Dried Tomato+Walnut+Chèvre Pasta Salad

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Ingredients

• 1 8 oz box gluten free fusilli or rotini pasta*
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 3 Tbsp sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil chopped
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach chopped
• ¼ cup chèvre goat cheese
• ⅓ cup toasted walnuts**
• 2 Tb extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• salt + pepper to taste

Instructions

• Prepare pasta according to package directions. For gluten-free pasta be sure to rinse with cold water after draining! This helps prevent it from getting mushy.
• Transfer pasta to a metal bowl, sprinkle with EVOO, and give it a quick stir. This helps prevent sticking.
• Add in all other ingredients and toss together. Maybe save a bit of chèvre and walnuts to sprinkle on top.
• Serve and enjoy!!

Notes

*I used the Organic Brown Rice, Quinoa, and Cauliflower Fusilli from Thrive Market and loved it! 

**To toast raw walnuts, heat in a skillet over low heat or toast a few minutes at 300F until fragrant.  Watch carefully so they don’t burn!

If you want to make this dish more of a meal, you can add some of my IP Balsamic Chicken on top (just omit the mushrooms.. or keep them in!).

And here’s a photo of Paris, strictly for nostalgia:

I’d love to know if you end up making this dish! Let me know if the comments 😊

💚 Katy