Sun-dried Tomato Pasta Salad

I always love to try new recipes.  Sometimes they’re good and sometimes they’re not – like the molasses and raisin bran muffin recipe I tried not too long ago.  I will not be sharing that one with you!  It seems that every time I try a barefoot contessa recipe I just can’t go wrong and I adore her more.  I have adapted this recipe from her Family Style cookbook.  I have doubled it for a large crowd and cut way back on the salt in the dressing.  Feel free to add more salt in – just experiment yourself.  I made this recently for my tennis team and they loved it – I hope you will, too.

Sun-dried Tomato Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fusilli pasta
• 1 1/2 pound tomatoes, medium diced
• 1 1/2 cups black olive, sliced (I use plain ones, Ina prefers kalamata)
• 2 pounds fresh mozzarella, chunked
• 12 sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped up
• DRESSING:
• 10 sun-dried tomatoes
• 4 T. red wine vinegar
• 12 T. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 t. capers, drained
• 1 t. kosher salt- add more if you desire
• pepper to taste
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 1 cup basil, julienned

Cooking Directions:

1. Cook the pasta with salt & olive oil per package directions. Drain and cool.
2. Add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes to the pasta.
3. Dressing: Combine dressing ingredients in a food processor and process until almost smooth.
4. Add dressing to pasta and mix. Toss with parmesan and basil.
5. Feeds a large group of hungry tennis ladies. Enjoy!