I am very excited to share this recipe with you guys today. First off, this is a perfect picnic recipe for the beautiful weather we’ve been having lately. It’s light, delicious, and if you decide to go for your own homemade grilled artichokes, a great reason to light up the grill, or use that grill pan you bought with every intention of using allthetime but never did (cough):

But here’s the other exciting thing- I also have my very first GIVEAWAY on total noms! The great guys and gals at Hodgson Mill have given me $25 of credit for their delicious whole wheat pastas to give away.

This is my submission for Hodgson Mill’s Summer Pastabilities contest, which I am very excited to take part in. I love pasta salad, and I’ve always wanted to try grilling my own artichokes- so why not combine the two?

Tuscan Pasta Salad with Grilled Artichokes

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups Hodgson Mill whole wheat bowtie pasta
• 1 large trimmed, quartered and grilled artichoke, chopped coarsely (I used this recipe from Simply Recipes), or you can simply use your favorite canned or jarred artichokes
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

1. Boil 2 quarts water over high heat. When water is boiling, it’s time to salt the water. Don’t be timid, this is our only chance to season the pasta while we cook it! Add a nice handful (about a tsp, give or take) of salt, then add the pasta. Cook for 7-9 minutes, until pasta is nice and al dente. Drain, and transfer to a bowl to let cool while you make the dressing.

2. For the dressing, combine the lemon juice and white wine vinegar in a small bowl, and whisk in the olive oil. An alternative (and my personal favorite) way to make dressing is to put everything in a small tupperware container with a lid, and shake it up while dancing around the kitchen.

3. When pasta is cooled, toss with tomatoes, artichokes, and dressing. Garnish with parsley, toss lightly, and serve. Enjoy!

And now here comes the fun part- want to win $25 worth of pasta from Hodgson Mill? Enter below! US Residents only, please.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And before you leave, PLEASE vote for me in the Summer Pastabilities contest on Hodgson Mills Pinterest page! You can vote just by “liking” this pin! Thanks so much!

Happy Eating
mally

Disclaimer: Pasta was provided to me thanks to Hodgson Mill, Inc. No other compensation was received for this post. The post was written by me and all opinions expressed are solely mine.