Easy Pesto Pasta Salad with Olives and Roasted Red Peppers
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Category
Pasta
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Cusine
American
What do you need?
How to make?
Ingredients
12 oz. Dreamfields or whole wheat Rotini pasta
1 can black olives, drained well, then cut in half
12 oz. jar roasted red bell pepper, drained well and diced
1/3 cup vinaigrette dressing
1/3 cup pesto
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Directions
Fill a medium-sized pot half full of water, add a generous amount of salt and bring to a boil. Add pasta, and cook 9 minutes Drain pasta well, and let cool for 10 minutes while you prep other ingredients. Pour olives into a colander, drain well, then cut olives in half. Pour red bell peppers into colander, drain well, and dice into small pieces. Combine vinaigrette dressing and pesto, whisking together. When pasta is cool, stir in enough dressing to coat the pasta. Add olives and roasted red pepper, and stir gently to combine. Cover salad with plastic wrap or a lid, and refrigerate for 1-3 hours. To serve, remove salad from refrigerator and stir in 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more dressing if needed to moisten salad. Serve slightly chilled or at room temperature.