Looking for an easy pasta salad that feeds a crowd without turning cooking into a project? This Biltong and Avocado Pasta Salad ticks all the right boxes. It’s quick to assemble, hearty enough to serve as a meal, and made with a handful of simple ingredients you can easily adjust to suit your taste.
The base is al dente pasta, cooled before tossing with juicy baby tomatoes, sliced red onion, shaved biltong and fresh, ripe avocado. Season with a little salt and pepper, give everything a good toss, and you’re done. No complicated dressing, no long ingredient list and very little effort required.
And then there’s the biltong. For South Africans, biltong needs little introduction. It’s a staple snack made by curing and air-drying seasoned meat, traditionally beef or game, until it develops its distinctive flavour and texture. Biltong is not jerky, and the two shouldn’t really be lumped together. Biltong is typically cured with vinegar and spices before drying, while jerky is generally marinated and heated or smoked as it dries. The result is a different texture, flavour and curing process. For this pasta salad, shaved biltong adds a savoury, meaty element without requiring any cooking.
The creamy avocado works particularly well with the salty biltong, while the tomatoes add freshness and the red onion brings a little bite. Pasta makes it filling, avocado provides satisfying fats, and biltong brings protein, making this a well-balanced pasta salad that can stand on its own as a light lunch or dinner.
This is also the kind of easy pasta salad recipe that doesn’t need to be followed too strictly. Add more avocado, swap in different tomatoes, adjust the onion or use your favourite type of pasta. It’s ideal for large crowds, braais, picnics, potlucks and lazy cooking days when you want something hearty with minimal fuss.
Simple, flexible and distinctly South African, this Biltong and Avocado Pasta Salad is proof that sometimes the easiest recipes are the ones worth keeping on repeat.
Biltong & Avo Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 300 grams pasta of choice
- 250 grams baby tomatoes washed and halved
- 1 small red onion peeled, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 large avocados large chunks
- 250 grams shaved biltong
- ½ cup mayonnaise or more depending on personal preference
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Start by bringing a medium pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add pasta and stir. Allow to boil for 5-8 minutes or until the pasta is al dente (not over cooked but still has a slight bite to it). Drain and drizzle 1 tsp of oil and coat well. Spread onto a baking tray and pop in the fridge to fully cooldown.
- Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients. To a large bowl, add the cooled pasta, halved tomatoes, sliced red onion, shaved biltong, chunks of avocado, and mayonnaise. Working gently, mix until fully combined. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve immediately or cover and serve upto 2 days later. Keep refrigerated and covered.