Paneer Curry Pasta Salad
As a Kindergarten teacher I have spent years observing children eating during lunch. I also raised two very picky eaters. One thing I have noticed over the years is that children truly love eating pasta. This was my inspiration to try a fusion recipe - Paneer Curry Pasta Salad.
Servings 5 children’s servings
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2 cups egg-free Radiatore pasta
- 1 cup of paneer, cubed
- 1 cup 1 cup of sweet corn kernels (fresh or frozen, I used fresh)
- 1/2 cup of light whipped cream cheese
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 yellow onion, diced
- 6 baby carrots, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 lemon – zested; ½ lemon juiced
- (dash of chili powder to taste, especially if adults will be eating alongside the children)
Instructions
Method
- In a 4-qt sauce pan, add 8 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Add pasta and boil on high heat until tender (~25 minutes). Drain in colander. While pasta is boiling gather and prepare other ingredients.
- Gently saute paneer cubes in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick pan (gently brown). Set the paneer cubes aside and leave oil in the pan.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the nonstick pan. Heat to medium-high. Progressively add ingredients in the following order:
- Carrots – sautee for about 1 minute
- Onions – mix
- Curry powder and garlic powder - mix
- Corn – mix
- Green and red bell peppers – mix
- Saute all ingredients together for about 1 minute.
- Add salt, raisins, light whipped cream cheese. Stir together.
- Add cooked pasta (which was set aside earlier). Again stir ingredients and leave on heat for about 1 minute.
- Add zest of 1 whole lemon and juice of ½ lemon. Mix it all together.
- Take skillet off heat and add paneer (which was previously gently sautéed and set aside). Gently toss all ingredients.
- Serve and enjoy! (You can add dash of chili powder to taste if adults will be enjoying the dish with children).