It's family reunion time - and that means two things are needed : wine and a quick and easy pasta salad. I'm sure you already have the wine covered. And now, with this recipe, I've got ya covered on the second most important thing. Please enjoy!
love,
Carin
12-16 ounces rotini pasta
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
16 ounce container cherry tomatoes, quartered
salt and pepper, to preference
crushed red pepper, to preference
5 ounces fresh baby spinach
aged Asiago, shaved, to preference
Cook pasta to package directions. Be sure to add salt and a little olive oil to the water. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, drain the rest. Immerse pasta in cold water to stop the cooking, and to cool.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Use a potato masher or other utensil to crush the tomatoes a bit. Cook until tomatoes are soft, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Drain pasta again. In a large bowl, combine the pasta and tomato spinach mixture. Add shaved Asiago, to preference.
Notes: I used a vegetable peeler to shave the Asiago. If you're not serving the pasta immediately, save the reserved pasta water to re-moisten if needed.
