Today's Recipe 1/14/2012

Pasta Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing

 

Ingredients:

·         For the salad:

·         1 lb. pasta, (your choice, I used Rotini) cooked, drained, and cooled

·         2 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped

·         1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced

·         1 lb. cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in halves or quarters depending on size

·         2 green onions, thinly sliced

·         1/4 cup finely diced red onion

·         2 medium carrots, grated

·         1/2 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, chopped

·         1 tsp. chopped fresh mint

·         1/2 lb. Feta cheese, cut into bite sized cubes

·         1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives (optional)

·         Salt and freshly ground black pepper

·         For the dressing:

·         1/2 cup Greek yogurt, drained

·         1/2 cup sour cream

·         1/2 cup olive oil

·         3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

·         2 tsp. dill pickle relish

·         1 tsp. sugar

Preparation:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. While it is cooking, you can chop the vegetables and herbs.

Combine all the salad ingredients except for the pasta and Feta cheese in a large bowl. Toss lightly and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

When pasta is cooked, drain well and rinse under cold water to cool.

Add the pasta to the salad ingredients and mix in the dressing. Lightly toss the pasta until nicely coated with dressing and ingredients are well distributed. (Use as much dressing as you enjoy). Add the Feta cubes last and toss lightly to avoid crumbling.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.