Fresh Pasta Salad with Veggies and Oven Roasted Turkey Breast

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Smithfield^Ⓡ. The opinions and text are all mine.

Flavorful pasta salad with fresh veggies and oven roasted turkey breast

Now that school is back in session, so is the daily struggle for all the moms (or dads!) out there. Can you feel it too?!? I'm talking about the daily effort to create and pack a lunch for our kids to take to school. It's really quite complicated when I think about it.

This lunch needs to be SCRUMPTIOUS and FUN, so it won't make its way back home after school in an untouched container next to a starving and unhappy little child. 

It needs to be WHOLESOME and NUTRITIOUS, of course! It's our kids that we are talking about.

At the same time, it needs to be QUICK and EASY to make. Let's face it, none of us wants to get up a whole hour earlier just to make a meal.

As I said, the struggle is real!

Before we cry ourselves to sleep tonight worrying about the dreadful lunch box preparation, let's not despair. I've got an idea for you: I went to my local Albertsons this morning and picked up this Smithfield^Ⓡ Prime FreshÔ Delicatessen Pillow Oven Roasted Turkey from the packaged meat section. It's an easy to make, fresh pasta salad filled with many colors and flavors, healthy veggies and scrumptious cut Smithfield meat. This salad can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to be packed (note: it's perfect for your next picnic too!). 

And take a look: it looks so fun and yummy that even the picky eaters will grab their little forks and dive right in. 

The best part: this recipe is quite flexible so you can adjust it to meet your children's taste. Don't be afraid to add, substitute and experiment (add cucumber, avocado, chopped olives, or their favorite cheese). What's most important, make it fun!

The other best part: when you shop at Albertsons next time, keep in mind that there are several Smithfield products that you can buy, like the Smoked Ham or Smoked Turkey Breast. 

These are all deli quality lunch meats that are great to have in the refrigerator for any quick lunch idea. You can create the best pasta salad (or couscous, why not?!) and the most scrumptious sandwiches. Easy, quick and so delicious.

Why do you think about this?!? I bet this lunch box will come back empty tonight :)

Now, without farther ado, here is the recipe for you.

INGREDIENTS:

YIELD: 2 servings
·         4 oz (115 gr) dried farfalle pasta (or other short pasta like fusilli or penne)
·         4 oz (115 gr) Prime FreshÔ Delicatessen by Smithfield^Ò Pillow Oven Roasted Turkey
·         4 oz (115 gr) cherry tomatoes
·         1/4 large pepper, orange (or yellow or red)
·         1 celery stalk
·         1 oz baby spinach
·         2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
·         Salt, pepper and dried oregano to taste

PREPARATION:

TIME: 5 minutes to prepare, 10 minutes to cook

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta as directed in the box (about 9 minutes to cook al dente).

In the meantime, wash the tomatoes, celery and pepper and cut in cubes.

Toss in a bowl with salt and olive oil.

Cube the turkey breast and chop the baby spinach in large pieces.

Toss all the ingredients in the bowl.

Drain well the pasta. Quickly run under cold water to stop from over cooking. Drain well. and toss with the rest of the ingredients.

Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Enjoy!