Pasta Salad with Basil Vinaigrette (Nancy Fuller)

By zircon50

Ingredients

• BASIL VINAIGARETTE:
• 1 1/2 pounds tricolor spiral pasta
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 2 cups oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
• 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 8 ounces sharp white Cheddar, diced into 1-inch pieces
• One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 English cucumber, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups Basil Vinaigrette
• 1/3 cup Champagne vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 shallot, roughly chopped
• 4 cups fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Details

Servings 10
Preparation time 25mins
Cooking time 35mins
Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Spread the pine nuts in an even layer on a small baking sheet. Transfer to the oven, and toast until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the drained pasta, toasted pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes olives, Cheddar, chickpeas, cucumbers, and basil vinaigrette. Toss well. Serve cold.

BASIL VINAIGARETTE:
Add the vinegar, honey, mustard, shallots, basil and some salt and pepper to a blender. Blend until well combined. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil; blend until fully combined.