Cold penne pasta tossed with three colors of raw bell peppers, gorgonzola, walnuts, and wilted spinach in champagne-honey-walnut vinaigrette. A delicious dinner entree.
INGREDIENTS (for 8 servings):
- 1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 cups fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite size pieces
- 1 small green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup walnut oil
- 1/3 cup champagne vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 cups crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
PREPARATION:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Toss with 2 tablespoons oil, then refrigerate for 1 hour, or until cool.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook spinach until wilted. In a large bowl, combine spinach, green pepper, red pepper, yellow pepper and cooled pasta. Whisk together 1/2 cup canola oil, walnut oil, vinegar and honey. Pour vinaigrette over pasta mixture, and toss until evenly coated. Sprinkle top with gorgonzola and chopped walnuts.