Cheesy Pasta Salad - The cheesy lunch box extravaganza

Packed lunches needn’t always be dull sandwiches. This tasty pasta salad can be easily transported in an airtight tub and eaten with a small spoon or fork. Toddlers will love this dish too as it can also be eaten easily with fingers.

Preparation time - 15 minutes and cooking time - 10 minutes

To serve four, you will need…

Ingredients:

225g / 8oz pasta shapes
75g / 3oz Cheshire cheese
75g / 3oz Red Leicester cheese
50g / 2oz baby corn
50g / 2oz cucumber
50g / 2oz cherry tomatoes
50g / 2oz frozen peas, thawed
100g / 4oz fromage frais
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling water for 10 minutes or as directed on the packet. Drain and refresh under running cold water. Drain again

2. Place the pasta in a large bowl and crumble the cheese into the bowl

3. Cut the red cheese into small dice and add to the bowl

4. Slice the baby corn thickly, cut the cucumber into dice (for very young children you may wish to peel the cucumber and remove the seeds as these are less digestible) and halve the cherry tomatoes

5. Add to the bowl with the peas and toss together to combine

6. Mix together the yogurt, ketchup and season with a little pepper if liked, drizzle over the salad and toss to combine

Cook’s Tip: You can vary the vegetable you add to the pasta to suit your child’s likes and dislikes. Try cherry tomatoes or blanched green beans or carrots. You could also add a little chopped ham or chicken to the salad.