Mediterranean Pasta Salad

I always crave a good, cold pasta salad in the summer. Serve it alone or alongside a sandwich, and you've got a meal.

 

I keep a 3 ring binder of recipes I've found in magazines over the years. I hadn't pulled it out in a while and had fun looking through it this past weekend. That's where I found this recipe and knew I wanted to try it out. I'll definitely make this again. I've been all about Greek flavors lately. Plus the colors were fabulous, and I was able to use basil from our garden.

 

**The picture below is from the magazine...I snapped a few pictures of my finished product this weekend, but my phone somehow deleted them. Maybe it's because I have 10,000 photos on my phone? Anyway...mine looked very similar.**

 

 

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

{Food Network magazine}

 

Kosher salt

1 pound tricolor pasta, such as bow tie or fusilli

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 to 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard (I used 3)

Freshly ground pepper

2/3 to 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes

1/4 cup fresh basil, julienned

1/4 cup diced onion

2 large pickled pepperoncini peppers, diced (I used 5)

3 tablespoons halved black olives

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

1 1/2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1 1/4 Tablespoons grated Romano cheese (I omitted this)

 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente; drain, then rinse with cold water to cool.

 

Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Whisk the vinegar, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in enough of the oil to make a smooth dressing. Season with salt and pepper.

 

Combine the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, onion, pepperoncini, olives, and oregano in a bowl. Add the cooked pasta, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Add the vinaigrette and both cheeses and toss. Chill until ready to serve.

 

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I hope everyone has a great day. Lily has her third day of swim lessons this morning, and Hadley and I have a doctor appointment this afternoon. Life is full!