I bet you have a go-to dish. A dish that travels well, can be made in large batches and is generally appealing to most friends/family/coworkers. A dish that compliments almost any main course, a side that everyone would be happy to welcome to their plate. I also bet you are sick and tired of making it every week. We are, after-all, in the midst of the potluck, cookout and pitch-in season and we can only tolerate the same thing for so long. I was in desperate need for a new idea, a fresh, SIMPLE, never-fails, fits in a big bowl and can be served with a big spoon, make-ahead and will taste even better tomorrow, shareable dish. It’s long been established that I love pasta and it occurred to me that I didn’t have a pasta salad creation in my recipe bank. I wanted to come up with something that was devoid of the sea of mayonnaise you often find in macaroni salads, yet at the same time wasn’t dried out and flavorless. There is little to nothing I don’t like that falls along theMediterranean flavor-spectrum. Briny kalamata olives, sweetly roasted red peppers, artichokes drained but still hiding small bursts of flavorful oil beneath their folds. Salty feta, crunchy-peppery arugula and gently roasted eggplant and red onion. Toss with ditalini pasta and a warm lemon-garlic vinaigrette and you have a light and highly flavorful pasta salad that packs exceptionally well in Tupperware. I added shredded chicken for a filling main course dinner for Z and me, and we snacked on the leftovers for days. I have a new go-to. And something tells me it won’t be losing my taste bud’s interest any time soon!
The addition of shredded chicken is entirely optional. It is also entirely easy and turns this bright side into a delightful main. Shrimp and shredded pork would be wonderful additions as well. Begin with the chicken and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. If you’ve watched Barefoot Contessa you’ve probably seen Ina roast bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. It creates perfectly moist chicken breasts, the skin and the bone sealing in all of the natural flavors. Another bonus to using bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts? They’re nearly half the price! Pat the breast dry and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with one tbs olive oil and roast for 30 minutes. Remove and let rest until cool enough to handle. Peel the skin off and carefully remove the chicken from the bone. Using two forks, shred the chicken into small pieces. This is a great use for any left-over rotissery chicken you may have in your fridge. You will want one to one and a half cups of shredded chicken, easily yielded from a one pound, bone-in chicken breast.
Half way through the chicken’s roasting time, add a pan of diced eggplant and red onion. Tossed with salt, pepper and olive oil, eggplant and red onion come alive when roasted, substituting the bite from the onion for a sweet crunch, tempering any bitterness from the eggplant with deeply, heady undertones. Roast for 15 minutes and then set aside, allowing to cool.
While the chicken, eggplant and onion are cooking, drain one six ounce jar of quartered, marinated artichoke hearts as well as one large roasted red pepper.
Chop the roasted red pepper, artichokes and kalamata olives into equal-size pieces. Set aside.
Place a large pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil. Add a palm-full of salt and pour in the delightfully ridged, miniature pieces of pasta. Penne, fusili or any other small-shaped pasta will work, but I really like the size of the ditalini. I dice the other components so they are all similar in size, allowing for equal bursts of flavor from every component, in ever bite. Boil until al-dente, about ten minutes. Drain and keep the pasta in the colander, placing a clean kitchen towel over top to trap in a little heat.
We are ready for the dressing! To avoid biting into a chunk of raw garlic, we will sauté it quickly in olive oil, lemon juice, dried oregano and red pepper flakes. Add a dash of salt and pepper and the dressing is bold and complimentary to all of the other components of the dish. Warm four tbs of olive oil over medium heat in a small sauté pan. Add the zest and juice of one lemon and whisk to combine. Add two tbs minced garlic, one half of a tsp crushed red pepper flakes and one half of a tsp dried oregano along with a pinch of kosher salt and a pinch of black pepper. Blend together, allowing the garlic to cook until tender but not burnt, about one minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Add the warm dressing to the pasta and top with the red onion, eggplant, roasted red peppers, artichokes, olives and chicken. Only two elements remain – top with two thirds of a cup crumbled feta cheese and two cups of fresh arugula. Toss until combined and you’re ready to serve!
It is impossible to have a bite of this pasta salad that is void of flavor. All of the components have their own song to sing and they manage to come into harmony when tossed with this pasta and warm, garlicky-lemony dressing. I hope I’ve made your next pot-luck assignment a little bit easier. Enjoy!
Makes 12 Side-Dish Servings
- one pound bone-in, skin-on chicken breast
- half of a large eggplant, peeled and diced
- one half of a red onion, diced
- six ounces quartered, marinated artichoke hearts, drained and diced
- one large roasted red pepper, drained and diced
- two thirds cup chopped kalamata olives, drained and diced
- two thirds cup feta cheese, crumbled
- two cups arugula
- one half pound ditalini pasta
- three tbs olive oil, divided
- one and a half tsp kosher salt, divided
- three quarter tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
- four tbs olive oil
- two tbs minced garlic
- one half tsp dried red pepper flakes
- one half tsp dried oregano
- the zest and juice of one lemon
- pinch kosher salt
- pinch black pepper
