Easy Mint, Cantaloup and Fontina Pasta Salad
A refreshing summer pasta salad bursting with sweet cantaloupe, fresh mint, creamy fontina cheese, and a zesty poppy seed dressing. This bright, flavorful salad comes together quickly for an easy seasonal side or light main dish. Prep it ahead for picnics, potlucks or easy weeknight meals.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups packaged dried large bow tie pasta
- 2 cups cantaloupe cubed
- 1 cup fontina cheese, cubed
- ½ cup Briana's Poppy seed dressing
- ¼ cup Briana's Poppy seed dressing (reserved for serving)
- 2 tablespoon fresh mint, lightly chopped
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to box directions. Drain, then rinse with cold water and drain again.
- In a large bowl toss together cooked pasta, cantaloup and cheese.
- Pour dressing over pasta mixture tossing gently to coat. (Reserve extra dressing to mix when serving)
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
- When ready to serve, if dry add more dressing and the chopped mint. (I find the mint can turn brown if mixd with the salad before chilling it.
Notes
Yield: ~4 servings
Serving Size: 1 heaping cup (~¼ of the recipe)
Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 heaping cup (~¼ of the recipe)
Servings: 4
- Most fat comes from the fontina cheese and poppy seed dressing.
- Protein is primarily from the cheese, while carbs are from the pasta and natural sugars in the cantaloupe.
- Nutrition may vary slightly depending on pasta type, amount of dressing used, and exact cheese portion.
- Be sure the pasta has cooled before adding the cheese or the cheese will melt.
- I find it best to add the mint just before serving otherwise the mint turns dark in the refrigerator.
- I keep some poppy seed dressing aside and often add more when getting ready to serve. The pasta tends to soak up the dressing leaving the salad a bit dry.
Nutrition
Calories: 320kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 11gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 426mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6g
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