Easy "Italian" Pasta Salad

Easy "Italian" Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
Multicolor Spinal Pasta
Pesto Sauce
1-2 small carton of Cherry Tomatoes
Black Kalamata Olives (pitted)
Mozzarella (**Feta can be used if you like it better)

Directions:
1-Cook pasta according to box instructions. Drain and place in a large bowl to cool in the fridge.
2-Wash your tomatoes and slice in half. Set to the side or add to your pasta in the fridge.
3-Open your jar of pitted black Kalamata olives and measure out approximately 1 cup (more or less as you desire).
4-Add the olives along with the tomatoes to the pasta and place back in the fridge.
5-Begin making your pesto sauce according to the instructions below.

Pesto Sauce:
3 cloves Garlic
2 cups fresh Basil leaves
3 tbs Pine Nuts
1/2-1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 dash Salt and fresh ground Black Pepper
Peel the garlic cloves and put into a blender of food processor add basil and pine nuts and blend together till everything is a very fine texture. Slowly add the olive oil making it into a creamy sauce (starting with 1/2 a cup and then increasing by 1 tbs at a time) add more olive oil if you wish for a thinner consistency.

6-Once your sauce it at the consistency you want remove the bowl containing the pasta, tomatoes, and olives from the fridge.
7-Slowly spoon on the pesto sauce and gently fold all ingredients together.
8-Take the mozzarella and shred or crumble it till you have approximately 1/2 cup then add it to your pasta either letting it sit on top or fold it together.
9-Once you have the amount of sauce you want on your pasta place it back in the fridge to cool a little more before serving.