(10pm)
"Oh, can you make me something to bring to a potluck?"
"Sure! When is it?"
"Tomorrow"
"..."
Luckily pasta salad is one of my go-to dishes in these situations (ahem Steven, give me a little more warning next time mmkay?). It's quick to make and I can toss in whatever I have in my fridge and pantry. Bettina, Steven's sister, loves pasta salad and was my official
Sun-dried Tomato and Olive Pesto Pasta Salad
1 lb of pasta like farfalle or rotini
1/4 C lightly packed sundried tomatoes, rinsed of excess oil
1/2 C kalamata olives
1/2 C coarsely grated parmesan
1/4 C slivered almonds, toasted
a few sprigs of parsley
1/4 C olive oil
2 - 3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 - 2 tsp lemon zest, from half or whole lemon
additional lemon juice to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Set aside to cool.
Toast the almond slivers in a skillet over medium to medium high heat. Shake the pan frequently until the nuts are golden brown and set aside to cool.
In a food processor, pulse everything except for the lemon juice until it is a fine to coarse chop. When the pasta has cooled a bit, mix in the pesto. Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.
Serve cold or at room temp.
10 comments:
I always have some homemade pesto and some homemade slow-roasted tomatoes in my freezer, for just these last-minute occasions. I can't even count how many times I've brought a dish almost exactly like this one to a potluck! Hooray for a well-stocked pantry!!
Fantastic. Saving this right now. And like the fabulous Lydia, this is almost entirely things I always have on hand.
I am a huge pesto freak. I am so making this for dinner as soon as our heat wave breaks.
Ohhh, these are all things I always keep stocked, so this will be a perfect go-to recipe!!
What a perfect throw-together for a potluck! I love having sundried tomatoes and pesto on hand just for that reason.
What a perfect pot luck item this is. Thanks for the inspiration, Amy!
I have some 'Sun-dried Tomato and Olive Pesto' leftover from last weekend when i made some palmiers for a christening with it, in the fridge right now. I think i know what to do with them... ;)
Lydia,
I hope one day my pantry will be as well-stocked as yours! Those slow roasted tomatoes sound wonderful.
Kalyn,
It's great because there's a lot of wiggle room with what you throw into the pesto.
Cheryl,
We're about to be hit with a heat wave here as well. I foresee a lot of cold noodle and pasta dishes.
Deborah,
Gotta love a well-stocked pantry! :)
Elise,
Pesto is always a great emergency recipe.
Mae,
I'm so glad! You've rekindled my motivation to make palmiers. ;)
Amy, this is just perfection - at such short notice AND you come up with something this wonderful? You deserve a gold medal, sweetie!
Aw Patricia, you're so sweet. Always making me blush. :) hehehe
I made this for a family pot luck...it's delicious. I added crumbled feta for an added flavor and it was great
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