Whole Wheat Spaghetti Salad with Italian Sausage, Tomatoes, Olives, and Basil Vinaigrette

Directions

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large frying pan and start browning the sausage over medium heat. While sausage browns, break the spaghetti into pieces and start a big pot of water boiling to cook the pasta, adding a generous amount of salt to the water. When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta, reduce heat to a low boil, and cook pasta until it’s barely al-dente. Drain the pasta into a colander placed in the sink, rinse with cold water, and let it drain well. As soon as the sausage is browned on all sides, remove from the pan and let cool until you can slice it. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Drain the olives and cut in half. Chop the parsley and slice the green onions and finely chop the basil Cut the cooled sausage into thick slices, add a little more olive oil to the frying pan, and brown the sausage slices again on both sides. Let cool. While the sausage is cooling and pasta is draining, whisk or blend together the white balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, Italian herb blend, garlic powder, and olive oil to make the dressing. Then whisk or blend in the finely chopped basil Put the cooled and drained spaghetti, sliced tomatoes, and sliced olives into a large bowl and gently toss with the dressing. Add the cooled and browned sausage slices and toss again, then add the chopped parsley, sliced green onion, and coarsely grated fresh Parmesan and toss again. Season the salad well with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve, or refrigerate for a few hours before serving. I don’t normally like to refrigerate things with fresh tomatoes, but this salad was still really good after it had been in the fridge overnight.