Garlic Lover's Pasta Salad

This morning we were packing lunches and found ourselves faced with a pot of leftover whole-wheat rotini pasta. We could have gone the conventional route with either marinara or olive oil and herbs, but I found myself fantasizing about a little something we used to love back at the New Pioneer Co-op in Iowa City (truly one of the top 5 reasons to move back to Iowa City--the Co-op, not just the pasta salad) called Garlic Lover's Pasta Salad.

It was creamy, it was garlicky, and I felt compelled to try to recreate it.

After cogitating on it for some time, it occurred to me that the sauce reminded me of nothing more than "white pesto," or pesto before you put the basil in it (when it's just oil, cheese, and nuts, with a little salt and pepper).

I didn't put nuts in this time (though afterward I wished I had!), but I combined probably 1/2 cup of olive oil, 4-5 garlic gloves, a few good twists of freshly ground pepper, and a sprinkle of salt with about 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese and whirled it all up in the Cuisinart. Then, as sort of a binder to keep the whole thing cream (plus add a little protein), I blended in probably about 1/3 of a cup of tofu.

DELICIOUS! If you're into all things overwhelmingly garlicky, that is, which we are. I also tossed the pasta and sauce with a few cut-up grape tomatoes we had on hand. Perfect summertime lunch or dinner!

If I were making it again, I'd definitely throw a few nuts (pine nuts and/or walnuts) in the sauce, just for fun, though it was perfectly good the way it was. I also think that adding some torn fresh basil leaves would have put it over the top, but I didn't have any. Chunks of fresh mozz would also be good, as would fresh corn. And I could probably have gone with even less oil and more tofu, but I wanted to err on the side of tasty since I had minimal time on my hands. But any way you slice it--quick, tasty, cheap, and delicious! Whether it's also healthy somewhat depends on the nutritional philosophy you subscribe to, but a combination of fresh, unprocessed ingredients (even if they are high-fat), which includes a variety of plant oils, whole grains, tofu, and vegetables (not to mention garlic), is A-okay with ours.

UPDATE: A few days later, we sauteed some zucchini and onions, tossed in the leftover pasta salad to heat it through, and then quickly broiled the whole thing with a little mozzarella cheese on top. It made a fast and delicious casserole!