the perfect spring pasta salad with basil vinaigrette
The perfect simple salad for a spring or summer day!
Author: the simple good life
Ingredients
- 8 oz dried fusilli
- kosher salt and pepper
- heirloom tomatoes (depending on the size, I used about 10 small ones sliced in half)
- kalamata olives
- 1 oz sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- fresh basil leaves, to garnish
- vinaigrette
- ½ oz/15 g basil leaves
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water for 10-12 minutes, or until just tender but still firm to the bite. Drain the pasta, rinse under cold running water, then drain again thoroughly. Place the pasta in a large dish and preheat the broiler to medium if you need to toast the pine nuts (I bought ones that were already toasted so I could skip this step and just toss them in).
- To make the vinaigrette, place the basil leaves, garlic, cheese, olive oil, and lemon juice in a food processor. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and process until the leaves are well chopped and the ingredients are combined. Alternatively, if you don’t have a processor, finely chop the basil by hand and combine with the other ingredients. Pour the vinaigrette over the pasta and toss to coat.
- Cut the tomatoes into wedges (unless they are small ones, then just halves). Halve the olives. Toast the pine nuts (if you need to) on a cookie sheet under the hot broiler until golden. Add tomatoes (fresh and sundried) and the olives to the pasta and mix until combined.
- Transfer the pasta to a serving dish, sprinkle with Parmesan and toasted pine nuts and serve. Garnish with a few fresh basil leaves. Bon appetite and enjoy!
- ** I also added our leftover chicken that I had cooked from the night before to make it a more substantial salad.
Notes
supplies
processor – highly recommend the Magic Bullet Blender. Works great for smoothly, margaritas, and as a processor as well.
processor – highly recommend the Magic Bullet Blender. Works great for smoothly, margaritas, and as a processor as well.