Pasta Salad with Fresh and Sun Dried Tomatoes

This pasta salad has a wonderfully clean and fresh flavor.  It’s best chilled overnight, and wonderful to pack for lunch the day after serving.  This salad does nothing but improve over time.  An excellent variation would be to toss it with a cup or so of arugula.  I used Juliette tomatoes in this salad.  Any intensely tomatoey fruit would be good, and if Juliettes aren’t available Amarosas or Campari tomatoes would be excellent, too. 

I love the shape of gemelli for pasta salads; it’s a very fork-friendly shape, and a little different than the standard rotini.  

Pasta Salad with Fresh and Sun Dried Tomatoes

 

• 1/2 lbs gemelli 
• 1/2 C good tomaotes, roughly chopped and seeded if desired
• 1/2 C dried tomatoes
• 4 T fresh basil, chiffonaded
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 T olive oil plus more for drizzling
• juice of half a lemon
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.  Check the pasta before draining to make sure it’s cooked to the desired consistency – gemelli has a tendency to take a bit longer to reach al dente.  While the pasta cooks, reconstitute the dried tomatoes by covering them with water in a prep bowl or measuring cup.  In a large bowl, whisk together the garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice.  Add the fresh tomatoes, red onion, and basil.  Toss to combine.  When the pasta finishes cooking drain it well, then drizzle it with olive oil to keep it from sticking together.  Drain the liquid from the dried tomatoes, then mix them into the tomato and onion mixture.  Toss the pasta with the tomato and onion mixture.  Chill for at least a half hour before serving, or up to overnight.

Serves 4.