This is one of my go-to pasta salad recipes as it's user-friendly; the feta can be replaced with Parmesan, goat or blue cheese crumbles; other pasta shapes may be substituted for the bow ties, depending on what you have in your cupboard.

I made this yesterday to serve for dinner tonight, adding the arugula, tomatoes and olives a couple of minutes before serving. Grilled chicken breasts were the only accompaniment.

Yield: apx. 5-6 cups pasta salad
Time: 30 minutes
Cost: apx. $7

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups bow tie (farfalle) pasta
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
5 large basil leaves
1 1/2 cups (loosely packed) arugula
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced in half lengthwise
1-2 cups grape tomatoes, washed then sliced in half lengthwise
3-4 ounces feta cheese, cubed or crumbled*

*I used one-half of a 7-ounce package of Valbresso French feta cheese and cut it into cubes for this recipe.

Directions

1. Cook bow ties in salted water according to package directions. (If you overcook the pasta, it will fall apart somewhat and loose its bow tie shape.)
2. Whisk together lemon juice, garlic and oil.
3. To make basil ribbons (chiffonade), roll 3 basil leaves together tightly, cigar-style. With a sharp knife, cut rolled leaves into thin ribbons. Repeat with remaining basil leaves.
4. Toss pasta with dressing, spinach, olives, tomatoes, feta and basil ribbons. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.