Pesto Pasta Salad

Last night, a bunch of girls and I got together and had a draft for the Bachelor. Yes, it's exactly like a fantasy football draft. We made teams of girls and I really hope one of my girls wins Juan Pablo's heart! While watching we had a potluck dinner and some fun drinks. This pesto pasta salad was perfect for a light potluck along with some other appetizers and dessert. If you can't find whole wheat pasta shells don't worry about it. Also, if the pesto dressing is too thick, add more olive oil a little bit at a time until you reach a consistency you like.

Let's chat about last nights episode for a minute. Victoria is crazy, but who hasn't had a bad night before? Too bad that it was on national TV... Renee is such a mom and it's so sweet that she's making sure all the other girls are okay. Also, Clare is cute and so is Nikki. Oh yeah, and Lucy is really strange.

Ingredients
8 oz whole wheat shell pasta (I used Delallo)
1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed
1/3 cup julienned sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup baby buffalo mozzarella balls, cut in half
1/2 cup reduced fat pesto
Juice of half a lemon
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. 
2. Place trimmed asparagus on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toss asparagus with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 10-12 minutes or until tender. 
3. Cook pasta according to package directions. Let pasta and asparagus cool. 
4. Meanwhile, whisk together pesto, lemon juice, and remaining olive oil. Set aside. 
5. Cut asparagus into 1 inch pieces. Mix together pasta shells, asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, and mozzarella. 
6. Top with pesto dressing, stir, and serve.