Refreshing Pasta Salad
I ventured into the cave to restock my fridge after its spring break clean-out and saw a stack of artichokes in a jar. In anticipation of spring, I began craving a summer salad. What could I get, here and now, to make such a dish? Browsing around awhile, I landed on a pasta base with artichoke and whatever veggies were available. Luckily, the Cave had just restocked, and the world was my oyster. Maybe the world could be your oyster, too, with a refreshing Pasta Salad that will taste even better in the hot weather soon to come.
Ingredients:
- One box of Pasta
- One Jar of Artichokes
- One Cucumber
- A small container of Cherry Tomatoes
- One Bell Pepper
- Cilantro and Goat Cheese (as toppings)
- Balsamic
- Oregano, Thyme, Salt and Pepper
Tools:
- Pot
- Cutting Board and Knife
Directions:
- Cook your pasta. Once it’s done, drain and add it to a large bowl with butter or olive oil. Mix it well. The fat will keep your pasta from sticking together. Leave it to cool.
- Get your cutting board out and chop all your veggies. In salads like this, the smaller the chop the better, so you can get more variety in each bite.
- Drain your artichokes over a mason jar, collecting the oil and herbs that pour out. We’ll use this to make the dressing. Chop your artichoke.
- In a mason jar, or any container with a leak-proof lid, add balsamic, a little less than your oil. Next, eyeball salt, pepper, and herbs to the oil you saved. Shake shake shake your jar, and you’ve got salad dressing.
- Assemble; Toss your veggies and artichoke into the bowl of pasta, drizzle on your dressing, stir, and top with your cheese of choice, in my case, goat. I finished mine up with some chopped cilantro and more pepper. Green olives would take this dish above and beyond, but my friends I shared it with don’t like them, so I had to leave them off. Either way, our family of four was left well fed and dreaming of warmer days.
Here’s to more yummy, easy and healthy recipes keeping us fueled through our last quarter of the year. Good luck, and meet you back here next week for another installation of Dormiliciouse!
