Mediterranean Pasta Salad Kit

The new Trader Joe’s in Chelsea has this awesome shelf of all their new products (in case you’re wondering, the shelf is by their sampling station). I always stop to quickly browse their new products and have actually found really good snacks on those shelves (their new chocolate chip cookies that are slightly crispy and very buttery are one of my favorite finds). The other night, I found the Mediterranean Pasta Salad Kit:

I picked it up because I’m a sucker for gemelli pasta, I love pasta salad, and I didn’t have to buy anything else to make the pasta. The kit comes with a bag of pasta and chicke peas and a white bag with seasonings, dried olives, and peppers:

The only additional ingredients you need are olive oil and water (very easy to come up with both ingredients, no matter how stocked your kitchen is):

The pasta kit is really easy – and it literally takes minutes to prepare – all you do is cook the pasta:

Mix the seasoning bag with olive oil and water:

Finished mix:

Drain the pasta and chick peas and pour them into the seasoning mixture:

Stir, and enjoy:

I also added some cooked chicken breasts so make the salad a little more substantial and placed it in the fridge (although it is also pretty good straight from the stove). The kit costs about $3, which is a great deal (I think) for a salad kit that serves four. Have you tried any of the easy-to-make kits from Trader Joe’s?