FARFALLE PASTA WITH MARINATED VEGETABLES

This pasta dish was inspired by all the flavors of an antipasti platter.  I know...totally an oxymoron since antipasti means without pasta; it's a crowd pleaser none the less, aaand it’s super simple to make.  Ya cook a box of pasta, dice some tomatoes & cheese, then just open up a bunch of jars and dump ‘em.  Okay, maybe don’t just dump the jars, but it’s almost that easy.  Farfalle Pasta with Marinated Vegetables can also sit out at room temperature and not poison any one; always important in a partaaay dish.  Oh yes I did…I said “partay”!

 Here’s what you do.

Farfalle pasta is the same as bow tie pasta.  All of the ingredients can be prepared while you are waiting for the pasta water to come to a boil.   I have olive oil in the pic but I ended up not using it, just pretend it's not there.

Be sure and get "marinated" artichoke hearts because you'll use the marinade in the pasta.

Drain the roasted red peppers and dice 'em up.  All of the vegetables will be diced into about 1/2 inch pieces. 

Cut the grape or cherry tomatoes in half.

Red onions give a nice bite to the pasta.

I had some pesto I had previously made in the freezer, but go ahead and use jarred pesto if that's what you have.

 When the pasta has cooked, drain it well, but don't rinse it.

Dice the artichoke hearts, and add them along with their marinade to the cooked, drained pasta.

Add the remaining vegetables, the roughly chopped olives and the pesto.  Give it a stir to be sure everything is incorporated.

By the time I add the cheese, the pasta has cooled a little.  That's good because I don't want the cheese to melt, I like the finding the nuggets of cheese in my pasta.

This pasta is loaded with veggies and cheese.  I chose to keep it vegetarian, but some cubes of salami would be a tasty addition.

FARFALLE PASTA WITH MARINATED VEGETABLES

Serves 8

1              box        Farfalle (bow tie) pasta; a box is 1 lb.

1              pint        Grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

½                          Large red onion, large dice

1-12          oz. jar    Marinated artichoke hearts, chopped into ½ inch pieces; use the hearts and the liquid

1-10          oz. jar    Roasted red peppers, drained and chopped into ½ inch pieces

1              cup        Pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped

¼             cup        Pesto sauce

16             oz.         Mozzarella cheese, diced into ½ inch cubes

                            Salt and pepper to taste

  1.        Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Drain the cooked pasta well.

  2.       Toss the pasta with the tomatoes, onion, artichoke hearts, the marinade from the artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, olives and the pesto.  Mix well.

  3.    Toss the diced mozzarella in at the last.

  4.       Taste for seasoning, salt and pepper if necessary.

  5.       Serve warm or at room temperature.

*Note diced Salami would be a nice addition to this pasta.

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