TASTE
Light and easy pasta salad dressed in gourmet flavors
| • | Soup up the end of summer |
By Elaine Magee
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Q. I love having pasta salad in my refrigerator for nights when the family is going in four different directions. Do you have a recipe for a light pasta salad that is a little more gourmet than the usual mayonnaise or Italian dressing pasta salads?
Let's see ... light and gourmet ... hmm.
How about a penne pasta salad dressed in a lemon juice and olive oil blend with heads of roasted garlic, fresh parsley and basil, feta cheese and plenty of toasted pine nuts?
I like that this pasta salad is simple to make, and yet the flavors come together with such magnificence. In fact, I think it's my new favorite pasta salad recipe.
This is an Elaine original recipe, so there isn't a nutritional comparison to a higher calorie recipe.
BASIL FETA PENNE PASTA SALAD
Add pasta, parsley, basil, feta cheese, pine nuts and cloves of garlic to a large serving bowl and toss to blend.
Add lemon juice and olive oil to a small bowl and whisk briskly to create a blended dressing. Immediately drizzle it over the pasta salad in the large bowl and toss to coat the pasta salad well with the dressing.
Add pepper and salt to taste if desired. Cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.
* Toast pine nuts by adding them to a nonstick frying pan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until they are golden (about 4 minutes).
** To roast a head of garlic, place garlic head on a small sheet of foil. Cut about 1/4-inch off (the pointed top) of the head. Drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil over the top, if desired, and wrap the foil completely up around the head and twist or fold the foil over so the garlic head is nicely sealed. Bake in 350-degree toaster oven until garlic cloves are tender and starting to brown (about 30 to 40 minutes).
Makes 8 cups of pasta salad.
Elaine Magee is a registered dietitian. Learn more at www.recipedoctor.com.
