Is macaroni salad suitable only in summer? Food blogger Mareike Putska brings purple pops of color and caramel-crunchy nutty moments to a winter salad.
briefly about the essentials
- In the gray winter months, bright colors are also good on the plate.
- Food blogger Mareike Putska combines red cabbage with purple, green and subtle yellow hues of good pasta.
- The salad is suitable as a main dish, a side dish or a healthy treat to take away.
In winter, it is sometimes difficult to add variety to your plate. This is where the color trick comes in handy.
Because colorful things sure can’t hurt during the dark and cold months, and this Red Cabbage Pasta Salad fits the bill.
Tossed with fresh lamb’s lettuce and crunchy caramelized nuts, it’s a great main course for an office lunch, for example. But it is also great as a side dish.
If you’re not eating the salad right away and taking it on the go, I would add the dressing and nuts in just a minute. Thanks to this, the dish becomes much crispier.
Ingredients for 2 people as a main dish or for 4 people as a side dish
For salad
200 g of pasta (for example, farfalle)
80 g of pecans
50 grams of sugar
50 ml of water
200 g of raw and shredded red cabbage
juice of 1/2 lemon
Lamb salad 2 full hands
salt
pepper
maybe a little watercress
For refueling
5 tablespoons of olive oil
4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
4 teaspoons of mustard
4 teaspoons of honey (for vegans: maple syrup)
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons of water
preparation
1. Boil pasta in salted water until al dente and drain. Allow to cool slightly.
2. For the dressing, place the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard and honey in a bowl and mix with a whisk until all the ingredients are combined.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of water and season with salt and pepper. Mix well again.
4. Place the noodles in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Mix everything.
5. Cut the red cabbage into thin strips, put it in a bowl, squeeze the lemon and add the juice. Also salt and mash the red cabbage well.
6. For the caramelized pecans, place 50ml water and 50g sugar in a non-stick pan and bring to the boil. Simmer until the liquid turns golden brown.
7. Reduce the heat and add the nuts. Stir until the nuts are coated.
8. Transfer to a board lined with parchment paper and let cool. Then coarsely chop.
9. Add red cabbage and lamb leaves to the pasta. Sprinkle with chopped nuts before serving.
10. Decorate the cress, if desired.
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