{photo by Jenny Bischoff}
Paul's Favorite Pasta Salad
serves a lot!
There’s quite a bit to celebrate this week: The end of school, History Day last Friday, and Father’s Day is this Sunday. In honor of all the wonderful dads out there, today I thought I’d share one of the Bischoff dad’s favorite things to eat: pasta salad. This recipe is a combination of several I’ve tried over the years. You can add extra veggies such as broccoli or zucchini, or chopped salami. It makes a great lunch item or potluck dish, perfect to bring to a celebration of any kind. We hope your dad likes it as much as ours does!
Ingredients
1 lb. rotini pasta (or your favorite shape)
2 lbs. ripe plum or cherry tomatoes, chopped
2 T dried basil
2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped olives
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup chopped green onion
2/3 c. olive oil
3/4 lb. mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
4T red wine vinegar or lemon juice (I use a combo of both)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
(add other veggies if desired)
Directions
All ingredients should be at room temp. Put tomatoes in a large serving bowl. Add basil, salt and pepper, garlic and vinegar. Toss well and set aside.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Put pasta in the serving bowl and mix well. Add olive oil, pepperoni, olives, bell pepper and green onion. Toss again with pasta.
Mix in cubes of mozzarella, sprinkle with parmesan and stir.
