I can’t quit Pioneer Woman recipes. I’ve tried, I really have. But I just can’t quit them.

I love looking at exotic recipes that call for truffles and duck and fresh herbs and spices that take five hours to make, because they are beautiful and mouthwatering. But when I get home from work at 6:00 every evening, I want to make something simple, that requires simple ingredients, and that I know will taste good. Thus far, I have found that Pioneer Woman delivers on these requirements in most of her recipes.

Recently, I made her Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad for a work event, and yet again, it did not disappoint.

I made it for this thing called “Hot Dog Day” that we have at work during the summers, and it was the perfect contribution.

It was casual, because it was pasta salad.

But sophisticated, because anything with sundried tomatoes in it is sophisticated.

I know this, because I’m pretty sophisticated myself.

It was also, as always with Ree Drummond’s recipes, easy to make!

Not to mention, quite pretty.

Ingredients (adapted from Pioneer Woman):

Dressing:

• 1 jar (7 oz) sundried tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 T red wine vinegar
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Salad:

• 16 oz corkscrew pasta
• 1/4 jar olives, kalamata (original calls for a whole jar but I used much less)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 10-15 basil leaves, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions. While it is cooking, combine all dressing ingredients except for olive oil in a food processor or blender. Blend until tomatoes are chopped, then continue blending while drizzling in olive oil until ingredients are mixed. Once pasta is finished, drain and rinse with cold water until the pasta is no longer hot. Pour about 2/3 of the dressing on the pasta, add olives and toss. Add remaining ingredients and toss, adding dressing until pasta is coated. Sprinkle extra parmesan on top when serving.

Take this to your next summer picnic! Or eat it all by yourself, if you’re sophisticated like that.

love,

me