Twisted Sister

Lately I have been really into the Twisted Sister pasta salad from the Byerly’s deli. It’s very good though I always feel that it’s swimming in a little too much oil and there is a little too much cheese. Not to mention that it’s not overly easy on the wallet. So tonight I decided to take a stab at my own (healthier and cheaper) version of Twisted Sister and was very happy with the result.

Twisted Sister Pasta Salad*

1.5 oz Sun dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
1 c Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced (I mixed in some green olives as well)
2 c Short pasta (I used Cavatappi…it would also be good with whole wheat pasta)
¼ c Parmesan or Pecorino cheese, shredded
¼ c Green onions, chopped
2 cloves Garlic
Olive Oil
Fresh basil
Red wine vinegar
Balsamic vinegar
Lemon juice
Water

*I didn’t actually measure anything so all measurements are approx. My advice is to add ingredients to your own taste. I tried to go light on the olive oil and cheese.

Add salt to pot of water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook to desired tenderness (I don’t like mushy pasta, so I usually cook it just past al dente). Drain pasta and set aside to cool.

In separate bowl, mix olives, tomatoes, water, red wine vinegar, and salt…adjust amounts to taste. Add mixture and onions to pasta and toss.

In a small bowl make a “dressing”. Combine olive oil, balsamic, lemon juice garlic, basil and salt (I added a little water as well and used less olive oil). Add dressing to pasta. Shred cheese over pasta. Chill for 30 mins and serve. Makes 2-3 servings.

I made it as a cold pasta salad but I think that it would be good to toss in some chicken and served warm as a main dish as well.

Byerly’s serves theirs with toasted pumpkins seeds which adds a nice crunch. I opted to leave those out and save myself a few calories.

Enjoy!

{snapshots of DIY Twisted Sister}