It’s the waiting that kills me. The calendar says late May, and yes, we’ve already been teased with some beautiful sunny days, but summer isn’t yet here. It’s a promise, it’s right around the corner. And as much as I like diving head first into a tomato salad, it’s not time yet. It is time for pasta salad and grilling, calendar be damned. So while we wait for primo tomato time, there’s only one thing to do – a sun-dried tomato pesto pasta (salad).
Why is “salad” in parentheses? Because, my friend, this pesto pasta is a two-fer. Serve it warm without the cucumbers as a main dish or add the cucumbers, chill it, and you’ve got a pasta salad…a pasta salad, I might add, that stays flavorful and doesn’t end up sitting in a pool of watered down dressing.
Two for One > Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta (Salad)
Ingredients
- 1/3 c. sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and chopped
- ¼ c. + 1 T. chopped Italian parsley, divided
- ¼ c. raw almonds, chopped
- ½ c. grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ t. kosher salt
- juice of 1 lemon
- olive oil
- ¾ lb. gemelli (or other twisty shaped pasta)
- ½ c. sun dried tomato pesto (from recipe above)
- 1 15oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ c. English cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into ½ in. cubes
- ¼ c. feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together sun dried tomatoes, almonds, 3 T. parsley, garlic, lemon juice and salt, until finely minced ~ 10-12 pulses.
With the machine running, pour in the olive oil until the mixture forms a loose paste.
Boil pasta according to package directions. Drain it in a colander, but DO NOT rinse. Put ½ c. of pesto in a large bowl and pour the warm pasta over the pesto. Add the garbanzo beans and stir until the pasta is evenly coated with sauce. Let cool.
Add the cucumber and garnish with feta cheese and remaining parsley.
