Pasta Salad with Roasted Bell Pepper, Mozzarella, Artichoke Hearts, Kalamata Olives, and Basil

Another dish we made for my niece's birthday cookout was a pasta salad. My sister had been wanting to make this recipe since she saw it, and I knew I'd love it because of all the ingredients in it. It was very simple to make. She bought most of the ingredients at Costco. We made two pounds of pasta (I adjusted the original recipe to closer to the amounts we used) and used a bit more of all the veggies since we had a lot of everything. Two recipes almost filled a large Tupperware bowl. I thought this pasta salad came out perfect and I wouldn't' change anything in it, but if there is something in the recipe you don't like you can easily substitute it or take it out.

Pasta Salad with Roasted Bell Pepper, Mozzarella, Artichoke Hearts, Kalamata Olives, and Basil

Adapted from www.fortheloveofcooking.net

VINAIGRETTE:

2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons shallot, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Add the shallot, minced garlic, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Whisk until well combined and then set aside.

PASTA:

1 pound rotini pasta, cooked per package instructions
½ cup roasted bell pepper, diced
½ cup grape tomatoes, halved
½ cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
½ cup kalamata olives, sliced
½ cup mozzarella cheese, diced
½ cup fresh basil, chopped
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water per package instructions. Drain, and then rinse with cold water to cool the pasta. Toss the pasta into a large serving bowl, then add the roasted bell peppers, grape tomatoes, sliced kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, basil, and diced mozzarella. Drizzle the vinaigrette on top, and then gently toss to coat evenly. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Enjoy.

Yield: 10 servings (2 recipes fills a big Tupperware bowl)

Vinaigrette

Cherry tomatoes

Artichokes

Roasted red peppers

Kalamata olives

Mozzarella

Mix ingredients with cooled pasta, chopped basil & vinaigrette

Refrigerate or serve at room temperature

Photos by JoJo