Mediterranean Pecan Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 oz orecchiette pasta, or other small pasta
- 2 heads of radicchio, about 3-4 cups thinly sliced
- 1 cup pecan pieces, or pecan halves, chopped, plus pecan halves for garnish
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- ⅓ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- ½ cup marinated artichoke, cut into bite-size pieces and drained
- 1 cara cara orange, slices
- ¾ cup chopped parsley or mint, or both
- 6 oz feta cheese
- 1 cup halved marinated olives, kalamata and green, drained
- Optional lemon vinaigrette and fresh-cracked pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil with ¼ cup of salt. When water is bubbling, add in pasta, allow water to come back to a boil, then start timer for about 10 minutes. When pasta is cooked, el dente, drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
- In a large, clear bowl, layer half of the radicchio on the bottom. Sprinkle half of the olives, artichoke, and tomato on top. Next, spread out half of the pasta, ½ cup of chopped pecans, half of the parsley, 3 oz of crumbled feta, and the orange supremes of one orange.
- Add in all of the spinach, then repeat layering steps: radicchio, olives, artichoke, tomato, pasta, pecans, parsley, feta, and orange.
- Crack with fresh pepper and refrigerate for about an hour before serving.
- Dressing is a nice touch, but it isn’t necessary, with all of the oils and vinegars from the marinated ingredients.
Notes
Reposted from May 2019