This recipe was insired by Rusty who asked me to make a cold pasta salad with calamata olives and goat cheese. Truth be told, it was mostly directed by him, I was just the one who made it and cleaned up the recipe a bit. In the end, it was very simple, yet tasty. A great dish for someone who wants a nice easy side dish.
Mediterranean Pasta & Goat Cheese Salad
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Ingredients
- 1 Box whole wheat pasta (linguini is perfect)
- 1 box Grape Tomatoes
- 12 or so fresh basil leaves - Chopped Medium
- 2 handfulls Baby Spinach Leaves
- Calamata Olives - 2 dozen or so
- 3 cloves garlic - Minced
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
- Crumbled Goat cheese - to taste (about a cup?)
Instructions
Cook whole wheat pasta to medium firmness.
While Pasta is cooking, heat a very generous (1/2 – 1 cup) portion of olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic & RedPepper flakes. Saute for a minute or so. Add Oilives, & 1/8 tsp of onion powder. Simmer over medium heat, covered, for about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, and fresh basil. Simmer medium-low for about 5 minutes, or until tomatoes and olives are soft.
Strain pasta, and put back in empty pot. Mix all ingredients into pasta, along with crumbles of goat cheese. Toss well – add extra olive oil if needed. Let cool, and serve as a room temperature or cold salad.
