Tri-Colore Pasta Salad W/ Homemade Sun-Dried Tomato And Basil Vinaigrette

Photo: ChefPriyanka

Ingredients

1 cup mini bow-tie pasta boiled al dente (or mini cavatelli, or fu

1 small onion- diced in a similar size to the pasta

1/2 green bell pepper- diced same size as the onions

1 roma tomato- diced same size as onions/peppers

3 cloves garlic- crushed and minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

coarse black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon red crushed pepper (or put to taste)

1/2 cup mini fresh mozzarella pearls (or just cubed into small pieces)

Parmagiana cheese- for garnish

PAM olive oil flavored cooking spray (or regular PAM)

1/4 (about) Homemade Sun-dried Tomato Basil Vinaigrette (Recipe BELOW)

Homemade Sun-dried Tomato Basil Vinaigrette:

3 sun-dried tomatoes- from a jar packed in oil

1 tablespoon capers

1 clove garlic- crushed

1 tablespoon dried basil leaves (or ½ cup fresh basil would be amazing!)

1 tablespoon red win vinegar

1/4 (about) olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

coarse black pepper

red crushed pepper- to taste

Preparation

Fill a large pot 3/4 full of water, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and spray with PAM, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and boil till al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a medium pan spray with PAM and add oil, set over medium-low flame. Add onions, peppers and garlic. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, red crushed pepper and Italian seasoning (crush seasoning in your palm before adding to release the flavors). Saute until cooked through and onions are caramelized. Add the warm veggies to the warm pasta and mix lightly. Add the vinaigrette and mix until well combined. Add mozzarella cheese, mix and put in the fridge to cool.

For the Dressing:

Add sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, basil, vinegar, salt, pepper, red crushed pepper and capers to a blender/food processor. Pulse until well combined and chopped up.

While grinding on a constant low, drizzle in the olive oil to create an emulsion. Grind until well combined. Taste for salt.

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About

If you haven’t noticed by now I love bold flavors and especially onions and garlic. This pasta salad recipe is a whole new take on the traditional Italian cold pasta dish. No more boring packet vinaigrettes or raw veggies in your salad. Plus this is a great way to have a fast lunch at home or at work, because you can make it on a Sunday night, store it in the fridge, and its ready to take to work in an air-tight container! Your co-workers will be jealous of your robust, garlicky fresh pasta salad thats full of color and flavor.
The key to this recipe is combining the pasta with the ingredients while its warm, so all the flavors get to mingle and marinate in the fridge. What you’re left with is a flavorful and satisfying lunch! Oh, by the way its called “Tri-Colore” because it represents the Italian flag- red, green and white!