Mediterranean Pasta Salad - not just for Summer

Now that we have hit Labor Day, it is inevitable that summer is slowly coming to an end.  The cookouts, summer parties, shorts and t-shirts as the daily apparel and  the extremely hot dry summer we have will soon be a memory.  But it doesn't mean an end to cooking like it is still summer.  I found this recipe when I was looking for a pasta salad, but not your typical pasta salad with the italian dressing as part of the mixture.  After having this I think we can make this again and again, even as the snow starts to fly!

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Ingredients

12 ounces farfalle pasta

1-12 ounce can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

½ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained (reserve 2 tablespoons of oil)

½ cup kalamata olives, chopped

3 tablespoons capers, rinsed

¼ cup  sliced scallions

1 cup packed fresh arugula

⅓ cup parmesan cheese

3 tablespoon pine nuts

DRESSING:

3 tablespoons basil pesto ( jarred pesto is fine)

⅓ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons of reserved sun-dried tomato oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Rinse and drain the pasta and allow for it to cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl combine the prepared pasta, chopped artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, capers and scallions. Toss to combine.

At this point, you can store the pasta salad in the refrigerator until ready to serve if you want to serve it cold.

To make the dressing: In a small bowl, mix together the pesto, olive oil, sun-dried tomato oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. The dressing can be refrigerated until you're ready to serve the salad.

When you're ready to serve, add the arugula, parmesan cheese, and pine nuts into the salad and toss to combine. Add the prepared dressing and taste test for seasonings.

Adapted from http://littlespicejar.com/mediterranean-pasta-salad/