how to make a yummy cold pasta based salad / lunch

[OnlyWantsOne]

I feel sorry for DP being out of the house for 14 hours a day, and he mentioned that he was getting bored of his cheese sarnies (that he takes everyday!!)

How to make some yummy pasta salad for him? Or cold pasta based food?

Cook pasta, mix in anything you want (cherry tomatoes, chorizo, pine nuts, cucumber, roasted peppers, anything that takes your fancy), add dressing or pesto.

You are a very lovely woman, dh makes his own lunch. I make the bread, the rest is up to him!

Noodles with ham and cucumbers and dressing: soya sauce + sesame oil (+ chilli oil if he likes it hot), or olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Noodles with tinned smoked mackerel or other fish, with cucumber and tomatoes.

These are stuff DS1 have for packed lunch! Next term we are going to do pancakes as wraps.

Savoury muffins? Can be made well ahead.

Get him on a Bento box lunches website (like this one) and the world is his oyster.

When the pasta is cooked rinse it well under the cold tap, it will seperate out nicely without clumping. Then add your cold extras.

We all like like pasta lunches here, some of the ones we do...

tinned tuna, mayo, sweetcorn, bit of celery and finely chopped red onion

chargrilled veg sauce (tomato based) with grated cheddar mixed in

Tomato based sauce with chicken breast or butter beans

Pesto with white beans or chicken

Olive oil, garlic, cherry toms and chickpeas or tuna flakes

Salmon and peas

Chunks of any sausage you like, or crispy bacon, peas and hardboiled eggs (sounds strange but it's nice!)

Broccoli, peas, olive oil, pine nuts and garlic (or just put in pesto)

"Grown up" ones:

Smoked peppered mackerel mixed with bulgar wheat, lemon juice, pine nuts, oil, cooked broccoli and cannelini beans

Chilli, peanut butter and chopped peanuts, garlic, lime juice, soy or fish sauce. Usually on noodles but sometimes on italian pasta, who cares!

Chicken, curry powder, greek yoghurt, grapes, celery

Salami and roasted peppers