This week’s recipe is the perfect pasta salad for the beach cause it’s delicious cold, but somehow even better when it warms up a bit in the sun. Whether you're trying to cause some serious FOMO, win the beach potluck, or just have a fabulous dinner for yourself, this one's for you.
Keeping things short here this week because, as you’re reading this, I’m actually logged off and on vacation!!
Kyle and I are off to the Sunshine Coast for a much-needed getaway and a few days of no work, no phones. Just food and sunshine. I’ll of course share ALL the updates with you next week.
That said, I do have one exciting update this week: a new addition to the dinner, sorted team - welcome Ashlyn!
Hi everyone! I’m Ashlyn 👋
I’m what you would call a great observer in the kitchen. I love food, but I’m not the most skilled at making an impressive meal. And that’s what drew me to dinner, sorted and Rachel’s POV from the beginning. The recipes are easy, approachable, and look so good even I want to try them.
A bit about me:
I’m a lover of beautiful things - movies, art, photography, design… a really great view
Thursday is my favorite day of the week (sorry, Saturday)- it’s 90% on the way to the weekend
popcorn is the base of my food pyramid, alongside very strong coffee
I’ll be working with Rachel to help bring more content and recipes to Substack. So if you see any spelling errors in posts moving forward 😉 that’s on me. I’m so excited to be here! Feel free to ask me anything in the comments.
Now, let’s get your dinner, sorted…
boursin zucchini blossoms
👀 video | 📝 recipe
sandwich o’clock with farmers market garlic focaccia
👀 video | 📝 recipe in caption
caramel banana french toast cups
👀 video | 📝 recipe
rhubarb labneh dessert dip
👀 video | 📝 recipe
hot or cold tortellini pasta salad (yes, really)
⏱️ TOTAL: 45 minutes
🍽️ SERVES: 4 | DIFFICULTY: 🟢 | DISHES: 🟢
How I came up with this one:
started with the idea of pasta as a crouton
landed on cheese-filled ravioli (because: cheese)
cold ravioli was meh, so I leaned into a warm-ish pasta salad
boiling? Too soft. Pan-frying raw? Nope. Air fryer? Too crispy.
Ding ding: cook like gyoza. Steam then crisp = just right.
Then came the balance:
bright lemony vinaigrette to cut the richness
crispy prosciutto for protein (and cooked in the same pan!)
peppery arugula, fennel for crunch, and marinated tomatoes for that juicy-sweet finish
What I learned:
red arugula = very bitter. It’s cool looking, but intense.
fennel is annoying to slice. Use a mandoline or just... do your best.
Why I love it:
fresh, filling, and fancy-feeling with almost no effort
equally great warm or room temp
somehow feels easier than traditional pasta salad (no boiling/straining/cooling cycle)
herby pasta salad with crunchy spring veggies: fresh herbs and crunchy spring vegetables make this pasta salad actually worth eating cold
antipasto pasta salad: dump a good jar of antipasto over pasta. Done. Sometimes lazy is best.
warm potato salad with bbq chicken, corn & scallion ranch: potato salad that's actually dinner. Perfect for summer cookouts.
green pea ravioli with toasty pistachios: store-bought ravioli meets sweet peas and crunchy pistachios
Browse all my recommended tools in one place: Complete Kitchen Collection.
Immersion blender (optional)
Mandoline (optional)
Citrus juice press (optional)
Microplane (optional)
*Note: Links above are for US retailers. Click here for Canadian options. 🇨🇦
