My Meatless Monday Recipe On Tuesday

Here's a quick and tasty MEATLESS pasta salad recipe I found at PBS Food. Make a batch on Monday and have it for lunch all week (perfect to pack and take to the office). Or serve it as a side with grilled chicken or hamburgers. Think picnics. Yes, summer is coming. It's that season right after spring, which officially begins next week. Salad went together fast (always my favorite). Try substituting tri-color rotini pasta for more color. DE-licious!

GREEK CHICK PEA PASTA SALAD

The Ingredients.

1 cup dry elbow macaroni

¾ cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 6-oz jar quartered artichoke hearts

½ cup chopped olives

1 tsp dried oregano

4 sundried tomatoes, chopped

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1/8 tsp black pepper

pinch of sea salt

The Directions.

Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, artichoke hearts (with oil from the jar), olives, sundried tomatoes, oregano, feta and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine. Add the cooled macaroni and toss again.

Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or keep in the fridge for up to five days.

Yield: 4 servings

A nod to Trader Joe's ...

In case I haven't mentioned lately how much I love Trader Joe's and how thrilled I am that they opened a store here in St. Paul, let me do it now! They have great quality, reasonably priced, gourmet-type food items. It's one of my preferred places to hang out. I always get totally inspired when I'm there!

This recipe re-post is a variation on one of my all-time favorite "simple" recipes. It tastes awesome, like you fussed all afternoon, but it couldn't be easier! I used two packages of Trader Joe's fresh jumbo cheese ravioli, and at $2.50 a package, it's a steal. And then their sun-dried tomatoes! Delizioso! There’s a massive depth of flavor here: saltiness, acidity, sweetness and sourness all pinging around in your mouth! It's a culinary explosion!


Cheese Ravioli with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Spinach
2 - 10 oz. pkgs. Trader Joe's Jumbo Cheese-stuffed ravioli
1 jar Trader Joe's julienne sliced sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
Baby spinach, as much as you want to use
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese
Prepare the ravioli according to the package directions. Add spinach to pasta water for last 1-2 minutes so it wilts. Drain pasta/spinach and return to cooking pot. Add sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes and shredded cheese. Toss and serve with shaved Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes. Fast, easy and delicious!

A trip to Trader Joe's ...

Tom and I took a quick trip to the new Trader Joe's grocery store in our neighborhood this morning. It's always good entertainment for the two of us. We manage to find all kinds of unusual gourmet treats at budget prices and today was no exception. We came home with a bag filled with our usual favorites, plus the ingredients to make this easy supper. Since I don't make homemade ravioli, I bought Trader Joe's fresh jumbo cheese ravioli for $2.50 a package and was pleased with the results.
JUMBO CHEESE RAVIOLI WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND BASIL
2 - 10 oz. pkgs. Trader Joe's Jumbo Cheese-stuffed ravioli
1/2 jar Trader Joe's Julienne sliced Sun-dried Tomatoes in olive oil
Handful of small fresh basil leaves from my garden
Red pepper flakes
Shaved Parmegiano-Regianno cheese
Prepare the ravioli according to the package directions. Drain pasta and return to cooking pot. Add sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes, fresh basil and shaved Parmegiano-Regianno cheese. Toss and serve with more cheese and red pepper flakes. Fast, easy and delicious!