Tomato Feta Pasta Salad

There aren't a ton of different add-ins or techniques used in this recipe. Just a handful of classic ingredients that always work well together: fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and feta. Plus, fusili pasta, which has lots of nooks and crannies to trap all the delicious dressing. The dressing is made with sun-dried tomatoes, which are like little umami bombs, along with red wine vinegar, garlic and a whole cup of grated Parmesan, so it hits all the right notes of salt, acid and fat.

Pasta Salad:
½ lb fusilli pasta
sea salt
extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
¾ cup kalamata olives, pitted and diced
1 lb goat feta cheese, medium-diced
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

Dressing:
5 sun-dried tomatoes, in oil, drained
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, diced
1 tsp. capers, drained
1 tsp. sea salt
¾ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, packed, chopped

Make the Pasta:
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and set aside to cool.

Make the Dressing:
Combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

Assemble:
Place the pasta in a serving bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, feta and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and parsley and toss well.

Makes 6-8 servings.