the perfect spring pasta salad with basil vinaigrette

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the perfect spring pasta salad with basil vinaigrette
 
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The perfect simple salad for a spring or summer day!
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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
  1. 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).
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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!
  5. ** 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.