Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta Salad



16 ounces dried penne pasta
4-6 sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
1 tablespoon oil from the sun dried tomato jar
8-12 leaves basil
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a saucepan of well-salted water to boil and add the penne. Let it boil until it is al dente (cooked all the way through, but still firm.)
2. Drain in a colander and then splash with cold water to stop the cooking process.
3. While the pasta is cooking, put the sun dried tomatoes, basil, garlic powder, and a small pinch of salt into a food processor.
4. Pulse 10-12 times or until all of the ingredients are broken up into small pieces. You may need to push the mixture down the sides of the food processor with a spatula.
5. Next, turn the food processor on and slowly drizzle first the sun dried olive oil, then the extra virgin olive oil.
6. Because the difference between good pesto and an oily one is small, frequently stop drizzling and turn off the food processor. Use a spatula to push down the basil and tomatoes and check your pesto. Does it look like a smooth, well-blended sauce or is it too dry?
7. If it looks too dry or if there are large clumps of basil and tomatoes, start up the food processor and continue drizzling olive oil. If it looks like a decent sauce, don’t add any more oil. (In fact, while the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of olive oil, you may not need all of it.)
8. Once you are happy with the sauce, add the Parmesan and pulse 4-5 times.
9. Mix the pesto with the pasta and serve

Serves 8

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