Italian Summer Pasta Salad

Name: Italian Summer Pasta Salad
Ingredients: 1 package Rao’s Homemade Fusilli Pasta 2 tablespoons Rao’s Homemade Limited Reserve Extra-Virgin Olive Oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup spinach, fresh or frozen (if frozen, thaw and drain well) 1 cup artichoke hearts, quartered (canned or frozen and thawed) 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped 1/4 cup pine nuts Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or a mix of dried oregano, basil, and thyme) Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving Fresh basil leaves, for garnish (optional)

Ingredients

1 package Rao’s Homemade Fusilli Pasta
2 tablespoons Rao’s Homemade Limited Reserve Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup spinach, fresh or frozen (if frozen, thaw and drain well)
1 cup artichoke hearts, quartered (canned or frozen and thawed)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or a mix of dried oregano, basil, and thyme)
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Prepare Rao’s Homemade Fusilli Pasta according to the package and set aside.
In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pine nuts until golden and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.
Keep an eye on them to avoid burning. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
In the same skillet, heat the Rao’s Homemade Limited Reserve Extra-Virgin Olive Oil over medium heat.
Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant but not browned.
Add the spinach and artichoke hearts, cooking until the spinach is wilted and the artichokes are heated through, about 3-5 minutes.
Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the cooked fusilli to the skillet with the vegetables.
Toss everything together, adding a little reserved pasta water if necessary to loosen up the mixture.
Season with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste.
Just before serving, stir in the toasted pine nuts.
Serve the pasta hot, garnished with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves if desired.