Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I’m not quite sure why I’ve never tried this recipe before (I even own this cookbook), so I was pleased to see that it was selected as the next Barefoot Bloggers selection, by Cat of Delta Whiskey. I used whole wheat fusilli pasta, and I omitted the olives—neither McHubby nor I like them. Instead, I substituted with an orange bell pepper and ¼ cup of toasted pignolis. I was also able to use fresh tomatoes from the farmer’s market (the ones in my garden aren’t quite ready yet) and fresh basil from my CSA basket. I was a little surprised at seeing only ½ pound of pasta to a full pound of mozzarella cheese in the list of ingredients, so I used half the amount of mozzarella.

What a wonderful pasta salad! The sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and capers in the dressing produce a combination of complementary flavors that blends well with the tomatoes and cheeses. I’ll happily make this dish again!

Source: Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Ingredients
½ pound fusilli (spirals) pasta
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
¾ cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced
1 pound fresh mozzarella, medium-diced
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

For the dressing:
5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons good olive oil
1 garlic clove, diced
1 teaspoon capers, drained
2 teaspoons kosher salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup packed basil leaves, julienned

Directions
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and basil, and toss well.