Parmesan Pasta Salad with Fresh Tomatoes

Parmesan Pasta Salad with Fresh Tomatoes is one of the EASIEST recipes- simply boil pasta, slice fresh cherry tomatoes, and toss with salty parmesan and high-quality olive oil. It’s great warm, room temperature, or cold, which makes it perfect for weekly meal prep. Enjoy as a super quick dinner after a busy day, or store in glass containers for a week of grab-and-go lunches.

Serves: 6

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 12 minutes

What (your ingredients):

1 lb. spinach fusilli pasta (or whole grain short pasta)

1 pint cherry tomatoes

½ cup finely grated parmesan

2 tablespoons good olive oil

Freshly ground pepper to taste

How (your directions):

Bring a pot of water to boil. Season generously with salt (the water should be the salinity of the sea).

Once boiling, add pasta and cook according to package instructions (about 12 minutes).

Meanwhile, quarter the cherry tomatoes and add to a large bowl.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add pasta to the bowl with cherry tomatoes.

Add the parmesan cheese and olive oil and stir until everything is evenly distributed.

Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.

Enjoy warm, room temperature, or cold.

Why (the science): Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a plant compound that boosts skin health and can help protect against sunburns.