Warm Toasted Pasta Salad

We invariably have leftovers whenever I make pasta. If I’ve doused it in sauce like a Bolognese I can just reheat it for lunch but when I have plain noodles I can get a bit more creative. I always toss my cooked pasta with a little olive oil to make sure it doesn’t stick together in a glutenous clump and I store it in a plastic container in the fridge. It’s easy to add it to soup or to mix up a cold Greek pasta salad. But the weather’s been a bit chilly lately and so my latest batch of cooked pasta was destined for a warm pasta salad.

It always amazes me how cost effective dried pasta can be. A 1-pound box of farfalle (butterflies – or bow pasta) yielded enough for dinner one night and a delicious side-dish the next. My grandmother used to boil elbow pasta then fry it up in butter and toss it with cottage cheese (her version of macaroni and cheese). If you’ve never tried repurposing pasta by frying it, you should definitely give it a chance. Letting it brown in a little butter of bacon grease gives it a wonderful nutty flavor.

To balance out the nuttiness of the cooked pasta, I tossed it with some tiny Peruvian peppers (also known as Petits Poivrons or Sweety Drop Peppers*) and a little Bulgarian feta cheese. The leftover pasta filled a large cast-iron pan, more than I ever expected to make, and was so delicious that we finished it in one meal. My husband had three servings so I’m sure it was a hit!

WARM TOASTED PASTA SALAD

½ pound pasta, cooked, drained and tossed with a little olive oil
2 tablespoons butter (substitute olive oil or bacon grease) – more if necessary
1 cup sliced Vidalia onion
½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup Peruvian peppers, halved
1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley or chives work well)

In a large cast iron pan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the sliced onion and sauté until it is soft and begins to brown. Add the cooked pasta and continue to sauté, stirring often, until the pasta begins to turn a golden brown around the edges, about 5-10 minutes. Add a little more butter, if necessary. If the pasta begins to stick to the bottom of the pan add ½ cup water to help loosen it.

Turn off the heat and add the crumbled feta – stir to combine, letting the feta begin to melt. Toss in the Peruvian peppers and herbs.

The pasta salad can be served warm or at room temperature. Since the feta is a salty cheese, you don’t need to add any additional salt but you might enjoy a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper.

* Sweety Drop Peppers can be purchase online through Amazon or purchased at specialty grocers such as Whole Foods. If you purchase more than you’ll use in a few days, just drain them, pop them into small sandwich bags and freeze. They’re delicious tossed into a garden salad, soup or added to chicken or tuna salads.