I needed to bring a side dish to a party, so I thought I'd see if I could find a pasta salad recipe containing basil, killing two birds with one stone. I found one on Food Network's website. Here it is.

Lemon Basil Pasta Salad

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Level: Easy

Serves: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound farfalle pasta
• 4 plum tomatoes, cut into 1 inch dice -aka Roma tomatoes. Yeah, I didn't know that, either.
  
• 8 basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 teaspoons salt
• Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Directions

Fill a large pot 3/4 of the way with water and place over high heat. Add plenty of salt and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water to cool down.

Put the pasta in a large serving bowl and add the tomatoes, basil, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Toss well and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

***

This turned out really good. The combination of lemon and basil was surprisingly refreshing. My only suggestion would be to maybe add some parmesean cheese. Other than that, it was great.

4-5 stars