Recipe of the Month: Tomato Basil Pasta Salad PLUS a Bonus Pasta Salad Recipe

My sister found this recipe last summer and kindly passed it on to us. It's become a favorite for sure.

Tomato Basil Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups grape/cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/3 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp dried oregano

12 oz. your favorite pasta, we usually use wheat rotelle

1 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips

Directions

1. Put tomatoes, onions, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano in a large bowl; toss. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes or until tomatoes release their juices, tossing occasionally.
2. Cook pasta. Drain and add to bowl with tomatoes; lightly toss. Let come to room temperature. Add basil; toss. Serve at room temperature up to one day.

Bonus Pasta Salad Recipe

This recipe doesn't actually have a name. It's a sauce recipe (French Dressing?) that I got from one of the girls I went to massage school with. I hadn't made it in YEARS and suddenly a couple weeks ago, I HAD to have it, and searched through my stockpile of cookbooks, recipe clippings, online, etc. Finally found it, and love it as much as ever. The quantities for sugar and oil seemed a bit excessive to me (at 1 cup for each!), so you may want to play around with how much works for you. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/2-2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tbsp paprika

1 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tbsp salt

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2-2/3 cup salad oil, olive oil works well

Optional add-ins: 1-2 cans tuna, sliced olives, onion, etc.

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients well in large bowl.
2. Cook your favorite pasta, our's is medium-size wheat shells. Drain. Mix with sauce. 

The sauce won't appear to be that much in the bowl, but it really coats a lot of pasta. Be prepared to have a large, very full bowl of pasta when you make this, or consider halving the sauce recipe.