ITALIAN FARFALLE PASTA SALAD

Entree - Can be vegetarian, vegan, gluten and lactose free (READ footnotes)

Another pasta salad, which I love beyond belief. In summertime it's the perfect dish, weather for a buffet or as an entree. It's highly customizable, following your preferences.

1 lb Italian farfalle (bowties pasta)
1 5-oz can Italian tuna in olive oil
2 big ripe tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 cup Italian artichokes in oil
1 cup mozzarella, diced
1/2 cup Italian green olives
1/4 cup Italian sundried tomatoes packed in oil
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cup peas, thawed (if you're using frozen one)
4 tbsp Italian extra virgin olive oil
Italian sea salt

Bring a large pot of water to boil.

In the meantime, peel and dice cucumbers, dice tomatoes and drain tuna but reserve its oil; slice artichokes stems in round and top in wedges; slice sundried tomatoes in strips,

Transfer all vegetables, tuna and mozzarella in a bowl and season with olive oil and salt. Mix well and refrigerate until it's time to use it.

When water boils, add salt and farfalle, stir and cook about 2 minutes shorter than it would take to get "al dente". Drain it, quickly rinse it under cold running water, to stop the cooking. Spread on a kitchen cloth to cool down completely.

Transfer farfalle to a big bowl with all other ingredients and mix well.

Refrigerate, covered with a lid or plastic wrap, for 2 hours at least.

This recipe serves 4-5

- It's a perfect dish for a buffet.
- It's great during summertime.
- Alternate small batches of pasta and other ingredients, so they will combine more easily.
- I pitted olives before adding them to the salad.
- If you need some extra oil, use the sundried tomatoes or the tuna or the artichoke one; they are super flavorful and will add to your dish.
- For a gluten free version, use Italian GF pasta (we carry them).
- For a vegetarian, avoid tuna and for a lactose free dish, avoid mozzarella (both can be replaced with hard boiled eggs). For a vegan version avoid both tuna and mozzarella, and replace with a couple different beans like cannellini and borlotti or chickpeas.
- For a dish as simple as this, use only good quality ingredients like the ones we carry (especially artichokes!!).