Culinary SOS: Wolfe’s Market’s pasta salad

Dear SOS: Wolfe’s Market in Claremont Village is a boutique grocery store, wine shop and meat counter, and it also has a remarkable ready-to-eat deli. We are addicted to the lemon pasta salad that includes zucchini, basil, peas and grape tomatoes among other things.

Meg Hassenpflug

Ontario

Dear Meg: Sweet cherry tomatoes and vibrant zucchini strips lend bright colors to this pasta salad, and the fresh lemon zest adds a nice zing. The pasta salad comes together in minutes, the flavors rounded out with fresh chopped basil and rich Parmigiano-Reggiano. Wolfe’s Market was happy to share its recipe, which we’ve adapted below.

Wolfe’s Market’s shell pasta salad with lemon zest

Total time: 30 minutes

Servings: Makes 5 quarts

Note: Adapted from Wolfe’s Market in Claremont.

1 pound shell pasta

Zest of 2 lemons

1 1/2 cups petite peas

3 zucchini, cut into matchsticks

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1/2 bunch (1/3 ounce) fresh basil, leaves finely chopped

8 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler

3 to 4 tablespoons best-quality olive oil

1. Cook the shell pasta to al dente according to the manufacturer’s directions, then rinse under cold running water to cool completely.

2. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, lemon zest, thawed peas, cut zucchini, tomatoes, basil and Parmesan. Drizzle over olive oil to coat and toss gently. The salad will keep up to 2 days, covered and refrigerated.

Each cup: 170 calories; 4 grams protein; 20 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 6 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 9 mg cholesterol; 2 grams sugar; 93 mg sodium.