Sun Dried Tomato Basil Pasta Salad

I was looking for an easy side dish for dinner this past weekend, and after searching through many of my cookbooks, nothing was really speaking to me. So I went online and looked at the recipes I have bookmarked, but still, nothing was speaking to me. Then an online search - at allrecipes.com - and within seconds I found what I wanted to make.

This pasta salad is not only very simple and fast to make, but it is good served either hot or cold. It would be great for a picnic or pot luck, as you wouldn't have to worry about keeping it warm. Or cooked at home, you can serve it warm along with your dinner. My husband preferred it warm, right after it was made, but I liked it both ways.

I don't have a food processor (maybe for my birthday next month?) so I just put everything in the blender and mixed it that way, adding olive oil until it was a pesto consistency. I then stirred it into the warm pasta. The original recipe calls for orzo, but for some reason, the store I went to did not carry it. So my husband chose mini shells for this. I think it would have been good with orzo, but I actually think I would prefer it with the mini shells because they worked with the sauce really nicely.

By Deborah

Sun Dried Tomato Basil Pasta Salad

adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked pasta
3/4 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve on top
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Place basil and sun dried tomatoes in a food processor or blender. Pulse 5 or 6 times until combined. Add cheese, salt and pepper. Add olive oil in a stream until a pesto consistency is reached.

Combine pasta and sauce. Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.