Pasta Salad with Mimolette

This is one of the most delicious pasta salads and it’s really easy to make. There is a huge amount of prep time needed to recreate it, making it the perfect quick dinner or even a lunch over the weekend or if you’re working from home during the week. It can also be made completely vegetarian (if you switch out the cheese) but Mimolette is so delicious in the cheesy breadcrumb topping, why would you want to change it?

For the pasta I’m obsessed with the artisanal semolina pasta I’ve been ordering from Hive and the leeks and baby spinach were so fresh when I found them at our local grocery store that I knew they needed to be included in my pasta salad.

While I went with a cheesy breadcrumb topping, you can always skip the breadcrumbs if you don’t have them on hand you just mix in the grated Mimolette before serving. Delish!

— About Mimolette —

Mimolette is a aged cheese and while ours was cave aged for 12 months, Mimolette can be aged from 2-24 months. Commonly produced around the city of Lille, France, Mimolette is known for it’s vibrant orange color, the cheese has a mild sharp flavor that is very similar to parmesan, and can be used in similar ways. While Mimolette can be be used on everything from salads and omelets to other baked dishes, it’s also delicious on crackers.

Wine Pairings: Banyuls, Merlot and Sherry.

Pasta Salad with Mimolette

Ingredients —

• 1 box conchiglie semolina pasta
• 1 large leek (washed and sliced)
• 1 container of spinach (roughly chopped)
• 2 tbsp. basil (minced)
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 1/2 cup of Mimolette cheese (grated)
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• olive oil

Directions —

Add salt and olive oil to a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente, drain, and set aside.

Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté your leeks and garlic. Once the leeks have softened, add handfuls of spinach and minced basil.

While the vegetable mixture is cooking down, add breadcrumbs to a small pan over medium heat. Stirring frequently so that your breadcrumbs don’t burn. Once the breadcrumbs are toasted remove from heat and add shredded Mimolette cheese.

Add cooked pasta to skillet and mix together. Remove from heat.

Spoon your pasta salad into bowls, drizzle with olive oil, and top with cheesy breadcrumbs. Enjoy!

The Mimolette cheese was provided for review by my friends at Sopexa and Cheeses of Europe.