Practically perfect pasta salad

Planning my daughter's tea party, I quickly realized that all the food was geared towards kids. Not that that's a bad thing.

But I wanted something for those in the double-digits as well. So I stumbled across a pasta salad recipe that remarkably (1) didn't have mayonnaise in it and (2) I had almost everything on hand. A few tweaks later, and I had a pasta salad that most moms were asking for the recipe for!

Pasta Salad

1 pound bow-tie pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch slices, then quartered
1 jar diced sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves

Dressing
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon stone ground mustard
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh cracked pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Cook pasta according to directions, tossing in the zucchini when you have two minutes left. Drain well. Toss with olive oil.

For the dressing, add vinegar to blender, turn on, and add everything but the olive oil. Blend until mixed. Leaving the blender running, add the olive oil in a slow thin stream.

Toss together the pasta, zucchini, tomatoes, basil, parsley and dressing. Serve room temperature. Parmesan optional.

This is my contribution for Meatless Monday. Check out other entries at the Green Phone Booth.