Tex-Mex Pasta Salad

A light and creamy green-salsa dressing highlights this easy pasta salad with Southwestern flavours.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon tomatillo salsa
• 1 tablespoon low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ¾ cup chopped red bell pepper
• ¾ cup frozen shelled edamame (4 oz.), cooked according to package directions, drained and cooled
• ½ cup cooked orzo, preferably whole-wheat, cooled
• ¼ cup chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons shredded pepper Jack cheese
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 dash Hot sauce, to taste
• 1 tablespoon toasted pepitas (see Tip)
• 1 wedge Lime wedge, for serving

Directions

• Step 1 Whisk salsa and yogurt in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Step 2 Combine tomatoes, bell pepper, edamame, orzo, onion, and cheese in a bowl. Add salt, pepper, and the salsa dressing; toss to combine. Season with hot sauce to taste, sprinkle with pepitas, and serve with lime wedge, if desired.

Tips

Tip: Pepitas are pumpkin seeds, but they differ from the seeds you scrape out of your Halloween pumpkin: they come from certain varieties of pumpkins that produce seeds without a tough outer hull. You can find pepitas in bulk bins in natural-foods stores and large supermarkets, and online at nuts.com and elsewhere. To toast: Set a small pan over medium heat and add pepitas. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 1 to 2 minutes.

To make ahead: Cook pasta up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 3 CupsPer Serving:403 calories; protein 24g 48% DV; carbohydrates 50.6g 16% DV; exchange other carbs 3.5; dietary fiber 15.4g 62% DV; sugars 13.9g; fat 13.4g 21% DV; saturated fat 3.4g 17% DV; cholesterol 13.9mg 5% DV; vitamin a iu 5078.8IU 102% DV; vitamin c 177.1mg 295% DV; folate 358.2mcg 90% DV; calcium 212.7mg 21% DV; iron 3.7mg 21% DV; magnesium 133.9mg 48% DV; potassium 1229.3mg 34% DV; sodium 520.2mg 21% DV.