Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.
I am a cheap date and I really think that my husband could appreciate that more about me. Like recently he asked if I wanted to go out to dinner, then when I suggested Casey's pizza, he looked at me like I had 2 heads for requesting gas station pizza. Um, it's really good and inexpensive, so what's the problem? My daughter is in the same boat. Her boyfriend wanted to take her to a fancy dinner for her birthday and she was a bit miffed because she just wanted to go to the ramen bar. Not only because it's what she prefers to eat, but she could also eat free on her birthday. Even though it was his treat, she still wanted her free meal LOL. So, we're both looking forward to Jason pulling out of Indiana this weekend as he heads down to Florida because we're going to have 2 weeks of cheap, easy, and convenient foods on the menu that nobody will complain about. We'll eat a lot of tomato and cheese sandwiches, soup, burrito bowls, and lots and lots of pasta. Because we could eat pasta every single day and never get sick of it. Lemon pasta, garlic noodles, mac and cheese, lasagna, spaghetti... all the noodle dishes we can squeeze in. We even have this Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese recipe from Golden Blossom Honey on the menu because it contains some of our favorite veggies and cheese mixed with a zippy dressing that's oh, so scrumptious.
This is a great pasta salad for lunch, but you could turn it into a full dinner by adding grilled chicken or shrimp and a side of French bread. This is one of those recipes that my daughter and I can get several meals from one batch, so it's another amazing recipe to chuck into the "saves time and money" recipe pile. If goat cheese isn't your preference, you can always swap out for shaved Parmesan, mozzarella, or feta. You can easily swap out or add in other veggies as well. Grilled zucchini is a favorite of mine to include. It's another great base recipe to add your favorites to in order to make it unique to your preferences and truly your own.
Ingredients
8 ounces pasta (rigatoni, or pasta of your choice)
3 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
10 black olives, pitted and chopped (Kalamata, if available)
4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
Dressing:
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 Tablespoon RAW GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY
1 teaspoon dried basil
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What's your favorite cheap date night location?
I do love pasta and I do love black olives and I do love tomatoes and scallions and goat cheese. This is a winner in my book. Happy New Year and thanks for this simple easy delicious recipe.
ReplyDeleteI love a good pasta dish too, and this one is similar to one I have in the refrigerator right now, only I didn't add cheese to mine this time. Pasta salad is one of those things that tastes even better to me the next day so I make a little extra to ensure there are leftovers. :). Happy New Year to you, and I hope your daughter had a good birthday.
ReplyDeleteSo nice that you get free meals in some restaurants. Here we get nothing free, not even for what we pay through taxes to the state LOL
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I both love pasta salads and goat cheese. I've never tried adding raw honey - Can't wait to try it! Thanks for sharing this great recipe, Theresa!
ReplyDeleteLOL at Jason 'pulling out of Indiana' !!! We usually do Friday night happy hours, which are relatively cheap. Discounts on beer/wine and appetizers. We've always loved that kind of thing.
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