Recipe - Labor Day Pasta Salad

By The Associated Press For Labor Day, serve pasta with a nocook sauce.
Made with a few simple in gredients, including toma toes, blue cheese and
fiesh basil, the following recipe is both easy and inexpensive to prepare.
: Labor Day
Pasta Salad
12 dpe plum tomatoes (about 1 One half pounds), quartered, or 1 pint cherry
tomatoes, cut in halves
2 cups (lighty packed) whole fresh basil leaves
2 ounces finely crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons olive or veg etable oil
2 tablespoons whitewine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound penne, mostaccioli or other mediumshaped pasta, uncooked
Toss the tomatoes in a bowl with the basil leaves, blue cheese, oil and
vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate and let
marinate for 45 minutes to 24 hours.
Just before serving, cook the pasta according to package di rections;
drain thoroughly. Transfer the pasta to a mixing bowl while still warm. Add
the to mato mixture and toss to mix. Let stand at room temperature about
15 minutes before serv ing.
Note: Use the smallest leaves of the basil for this recipe. If the leaves
are longer than 1 inch, tear them in half crosswse be fore adding to the
tomato mix ture.

Option: Grill 8 to 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cool 5
minutes after cooking, then cut into thin strips. Toss chicken while stil
warm with the pasta salad. Serve im mediately.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini