Pasta Salad with Yogurt-Herb Dressing

This is my favorite pasta salad. And my mom's too!

The star here is the dressing: use fresh herbs (especially if you are growing them in your backyard) and keep the add-ons simple. You can replace the roasted red bell pepper with grape tomatoes and omit the olives if you don't care for them (in that case you may want to add a little more salt).

I like to keep mine vegetarian but add protein by tossing some chunks of rotisserie chicken or a few grilled shrimp in the mix.

Serves 6-8

For the dressing:

• 1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves (packed) = 25 g de jeunes pousses d'épinards
• ½ cup plain low-fat yogurt = 140 g de yaourt nature
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese (about 2 oz.) = 60 g de feta, émiettée
• ½ cup fresh parsley leaves = une petite botte de persil plat
• a few fresh oregano leaves = quelques feuilles d'origan frais
• a few fresh mint leaves = quelques feuilles de menthe fraiche
• juice of half a lemon = jus d'un demi citron
• Salt and pepper to taste = sel et poivre
• 2 tablespoons olive oil = 2 cuillères à soupe d'huile d'olive

For the pasta:

• 8 oz. dry penne pasta = 225 g de penne
• 1 red bell pepper, roasted and diced = 1 poivron rouge, rôti et coupé en morceaux
• ⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved = 50 g d'olives kalamata (grecque), dénoyautées et coupées en deux

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente (about 8-10 minutes). Drain.

 

Meanwhile, combine all the dressing ingredients, except the olive oil, in a food processor. Pulse a few times. Drizzle in olive oil and process until smooth.

 

Put pasta, bell pepper and olives in a large bowl. Pour dressing on top and toss to combine. Chill for a couple of hours or overnight. Return to room temperature before serving. Enjoy!