February SRC: TSRI’s Tomato Feta Pasta Salad

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I am not used to posting recipes one day after the other. And that is why I should have drafted this post earlier. Especially since this month I was very good at managing my SRC recipe selection. For once I did not procrastinate till the last moment to try a recipe. But that’s the only thing I was good at it this month.

I thought I would have the weekend to complete the writing part of the post- as the making part had been taken care of. But on Saturday, we had a pre-Super Bowl party at home and I got busy with that. And on Sunday, half day was spent hungover and the rest watching the super bowl. I also managed to lose $10 to V, betting on the Patriots to win! I was not happy.

So, as always, even though the intitial planning was great, by the end I was left rushing through another SRC post.

I was assigned The Slow Roasted Italian as my secret blog to choose a recipe from. A creation of Amanda of Amanda’s Cookin, you can find all about the Secret Recipe Club here.

Now this month’s SRC task, like all other month’s, was not easy. TSRI (The Slow Roasted Italian) is a wonderful blog- a combined effort of the writer and the cook, Donna, and Chad, the photographer. Believe me, it was not easy choosing a recipe.

When I was assigned TSRI I just could not stop flipping through all the recipes that are there on the site. Donna has a section dedicated to lighter food too- called On a Lighter side. She also has amazing salad recipes, and features cocktails as well. I was really kicked that she had a lot of chicken recipes since that’s the only meat V likes to eat, with the exception of lamb kebabs.

But it was not a chicken recipe that I tried, though there have been some that have been bookmarked. Also her 7 layer mexican dip is top on my to-try list!

What I did try was a Tomato Feta Pasta Salad. I made it for my friends when I hosted coffee at my place and it was a big hit. Everyone loved it and so did I. The dressing is unlike any other that I have had and I loved that it all came together so quickly, most of the work being done by the food processor.

The only change I made was that I used cherry tomatoes that I broiled in the oven before tossing them in the salad. I never cook too much with capers, but after tasting this dressing I am excited about using it more in my cooking.

I am glad that I am part of the SRC- though I am sure even without it, I would have stumbled on TSRI and tried a recipe from the site, but SRC gave me the nudge to try a recipe now.

Tomato Feta Pasta Salad

Recipe adapted from TSRI. Original source Ina Garten

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound rotini pasta
  • Kosher salt
  • Extra Virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
  • 3/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and diced
  • 1 pound feta cheese, medium-diced
  • 6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
 For the dressing:
  • 5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, diced
  • 1 teaspoon capers, drained
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • 1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions

  1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. (I let it run through a little cold water, to quicken the cooling process.)
  2. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes (you can broil the tomatoes for that extra grilled touch in the pasta salad), olives, feta and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
  3. For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.
  4. Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and parsley, and toss well.
  5. Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate and serve later.

Check out what the other SRC members have been cooking this month:



Posted in: Italian, Salads, The Secret Recipe Club ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

25 Thoughts on “February SRC: TSRI’s Tomato Feta Pasta Salad”

  1. Lisa @ Sweet as Sugar Cookies on 6 February, 2012 at 2:59 pm said:

    I can just imagine how good this must have tasted.

  2. Donna @ The Slow Roasted Italian on 6 February, 2012 at 2:59 pm said:

    Thank you for the lovely write up Shumaila. I am so glad you like the Tomato Feta Pasta Salad. I love that, but sadly do not have too many feta lovers in my life, so I do not get to enjoy it that often. I also wanted to mention your photos are beautiful.

    Sorry your Pats lost, I am still celebrating the Giants! Good game!

  3. Lisa~~ on 6 February, 2012 at 3:36 pm said:

    Looks wonderful and delicious.

    If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to check out my SRC entry: Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites

    Lisa~~
    Cook Lisa Cook

  4. Jayasri on 6 February, 2012 at 4:17 pm said:

    Shumaila, you seem to be like me, from past 2 months, I have been good enough to do it at least 1 week before, I keep getting confused which one to try out!, Lovely one, my kids will love this.., pasta and cheese Yay!, beautiful clicks

  5. cooking rookie on 6 February, 2012 at 4:25 pm said:

    Gorgeous gorgeous photo! It must have been a delicious pasta salad 🙂

  6. Noelle (@singerinkitchen) on 6 February, 2012 at 10:03 pm said:

    WOW. I want a cup of that pasta! I am pinning this!

  7. Bam's Kitchen on 7 February, 2012 at 3:23 am said:

    That pretty blue plate really show cases this yummy salad.

  8. Simply Tia on 7 February, 2012 at 5:00 am said:

    This salad definitely looks like a MUST-TRY! I bet this is super delicious and flavorful! Yum Yum.

  9. Evelyne@cheapethniceatz on 7 February, 2012 at 1:23 pm said:

    Too funny, I picked you this month and I had her the time before. yep it is tough picking a recipe from her blog…but what a great choice. The pasta looks so good.

  10. Katherine Martinelli on 7 February, 2012 at 3:06 pm said:

    I love feta and this looks right up my alley! Great photos!

  11. aimeeberrett on 7 February, 2012 at 3:08 pm said:

    I’m actually not a fan of feta, but this pasta looks simply divine. I’ll definitely have to make some alternative of it 🙂 Thanks for sharing.

    lmld.org

    • Shumaila on 7 February, 2012 at 6:06 pm said:

      You could use any cheese you like- mozzarella/ricotta. I don’t know how tofu would do in this salad, but vegans could give it a try!

  12. Jill | Dulce Dough on 7 February, 2012 at 3:32 pm said:

    Sounds delicious! Love all the colors in this–beautiful photos!

  13. Pingback: Tomato Feta Pasta Salad: The Novice Housewife | The Secret Recipe Club

  14. kim on 8 February, 2012 at 7:41 am said:

    Sounds delicious, definitely adding this to next week’s menu

  15. Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers on 8 February, 2012 at 8:27 am said:

    This sounds amazing!!!! I would love some pasta right about now!!

  16. kirstin on 8 February, 2012 at 8:48 am said:

    This sounds yummy and your pictures are beautiful

  17. Veronica on 8 February, 2012 at 12:25 pm said:

    It looks so good! I agree with Kirstin that the photos are gorgeous-well done!

  18. Kim Bee on 9 February, 2012 at 4:39 pm said:

    I could cry this looks so good. I am that hungry. And this is THAT delicious!

  19. kankana on 10 February, 2012 at 7:59 pm said:

    Absolutely love the vibrant color in the photos. Pasta has always been my fav and I can eat everyday. This sounds delicious.

  20. Barbara Schieving on 12 February, 2012 at 7:37 am said:

    It does sound like a fabulous pasta salad. I need to use capers more too.

  21. Emily S on 17 April, 2013 at 4:23 pm said:

    How many does this serve? I’m thinking of making it for a group of 16 adults.

    Thanks!

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