The original Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes recipe is by Barefoor Contessa, but it has regular pasta and garlic. We are going to change that. When I make Italian dishes, or any dishes that call for onions and garlic, I substitute bell pepper, celery and parsley for them. They fill the dish with plenty of flavor and you can’t even tell that something is missing. Since this is intended as a cold dish, once you cook the bell pepper, celery and parsley and mix them with the dressing, you might want to chill it before combining with the rest of the ingredients, or leave it warm if you prefer it that way.
The original recipe had mozzarella and parmesan cheese which are hard to replace with non-dairy cheese substitutes. You could substitute the mozzarella with some flavored tofu. I will use pine nuts in place of parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 pound of gluten free pasta (spiral or other shape you prefer)
- 1 pound ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup good black olives, pitted and diced
- 1 pound good tofu, cut in cubes
- 6 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
- 1 cup pine nuts
- 1 cup packed basil leaves, cut in julienne
- 1/2 green pepper, chopped
- 1 stalk of celery, chopped
- 1.2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 8 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 5 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained
- 1 teaspoon capers
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Cook pasta in large pot of boiling, salted water with splash of oil. Boil 12 minutes, or according to directions on package. Drain well and allow to cool.
- Place pasta in bowl and add tomatoes, olives, tofu, pine nuts, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and basil.
- To make the dressing: Cook the bell pepper, celery and parsley in 2 tablespoons of oil until the vegetables become soft. Combine the cooked vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, rest of the olive oil, capers, salt and pepper in food processor and process until almost smooth.
- Pour dressing over pasta and toss well. Serve.
Gluten free pasta is more tender than regular past and tends to fall apart very easily so keep that in mind and mix carefully.
