Pasta with Easy Summer Sauce

After eating rich French foods (I served the ratatouille with a hollandaise type sauce and chicken sauteed in butter) and lots and lots of chicken (the afore mentioned plus barbecue chicken and rotisserie chicken) for several days, I was in need of some simpler, lighter meals. One night we had the Nicoise Salad again (which I still LOVE!!). Last night, I wanted pasta and rediscovered this recipe.

I thought it was fabulous and Curtis liked it pretty well too. M and J wouldn't eat it. I think the raw red onions had a little too much "bite" for them. Next time I make it, I will leave the red onions and I suspect they will eat this just fine. This follows the Nicoise Salad well because any unused (uncooked) green beans and black olives from that dish are used in this dish. Yet it's different enough you don't feel like you are eating the same meal two days in a row. This recipe will serve 4 - 6.

Pasta with Easy Summer Sauce
either from a Moosewood Cookbook or Cooking Light Magazine...

2 c cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 c fresh parsley, minced
2 T fresh basil, micned
1/2 c red onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c black olives, chopped
1 t salt
1/2 t ground black pepper
2 t balsamic vinegar
1 lb farfalle (or other chunky pasta--I used fusilli)
2 c green beans, cut into 2" pieces
1/2 c feta cheese, crumbled

Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water for 2 - 3 minutes (just long enough for the water to return to a boil). Add the green beans to the pasta and cook 8 - 10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente and the green beans are tender. Drain well.

While the pasta and beans cook, combine the tomatoes, parsley, basil, red onions, oil, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar in a large pasta bowl. Add the cooked pasta and green beans to the bowl with the seasoned tomatoes. Sprinkle the feta cheese over top (and gently toss everything together if you would like...I didn't). Serve hot or at room temperature