Spicy Pasta Salad

In the past I only made pasta salad using Italian dressing; however, recently I have begun experimenting with different sauces and vinaigrettes.  This pasta salad is loaded with veggies as usual but also has a little kick of spice.

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Ingredients:

8 ounce box chickpea rotini pasta

1 zucchini sliced and quartered

1 bell pepper diced

½ cup cherry tomatoes halved

½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1/3 cup white vinegar (more if needed)

1 teaspoon adobo sauce

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

1 tablespoon honey

½ pound smoked chipotle gouda cheese cut into cubes

12 basil leaves sliced

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions.  Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Add diced vegetables to a large bowl.
3. Add yogurt, vinegar, adobo sauce, chipotle pepper, and honey to a food processor.  Pulse to chop pepper and mix sauce.
4. Add pasta to vegetables. 
5. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and mix to evenly distribute the dressing.
6. Sprinkle basil leaves over the salad.  Toss to mix.
7. Add chopped cheese.
8. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Mix well to redistribute dressing before serving.