Orecchiette Pasta Salad With Artichokes And Grilled Veggies - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb pasta, cooked orecchiette
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion
1 red pepper
1 medium zucchini
1/2 cup mushroom
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups salad dressing (see note below)
1 tablespoon capers, finely chopped
3 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
1 teaspoon black pepper, fresh ground
6 artichoke hearts, canned (not marinated)
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
1 cup cheese, shredded (see note below)
1/4 cup salad dressing, additional
6 -8 cherry tomatoes, quartered

Preparation

Thinly slice the onion, red pepper, zucchini and mushrooms. Heat olive oiI in a large saute pan -- add onions, cooking until softened, then add garlic, red pepper, mushrooms and zucchini -- continue to cook until lightly coloured.
Drain and quarter the artichoke hearts.
Stir the grilled veggies and the remaining ingredients (except tomatoes and additional dressing) into the cold cooked pasta -- mix well.
Place into a container with a lid and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
When ready to serve, refresh with additional 1/4 cup of salad dressing and garnish with quartered cherry tomatoes.
Notes:
The salad dressing is the most recognizable flavour so make sure you're confident with the taste -- you can make your own with a light tasting olive oil, lemon juice (or white balsamic), dijon mustard and your choice of herbs, but I find Kraft's Classic Herb is perfect for pasta salads.
As I cook with cheeses so frequently, I stock my fridge/freezer with one-cup baggies filled with a blend of shredded imported Italian white cheeses (asiago, provolone, pecorino romano and parmegiana reggiano). You can easily substitute crumbled feta, but it will completely change the flavour. Also, as these cheeses are quite salty, I rarely add table salt to my recipes.