Spinach Pasta Salad

I get these emails in my inbox from a site called PureWow and they have a newsletter called PureWow Recipes. Occasionally I see something that I really want to try but more often than not I don't have all the ingredients and I tag the email as a recipe email in hopes to try it in the future.

I was excited when I got this email because I have been feeling like I need a change in my lunch options lately and this came at the perfect time. I had almost all the items of the recipe and enough for me to attempt it with a few changes. To see the original recipe click here.

Spinach Pasta Salad

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon finely chopped black olives
1 teaspoon honey
salt and ground black pepper
thinly sliced onion (about 1 cup)
8 ounces small grape tomatoes, halved (about 1 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup pitted black olives, quartered lengthwise
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon dried oregano, divided (if I had fresh I definitely would've used that instead)
1/2 pound pasta (they recommend a curly pasta like gemelli but I used the leftover wheel pasta I had)
5 loosely packed cups baby spinach

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk olive oil with vinetar, garlic, lemon zest, finely chopped black olives, honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Add the onion, tomatoes, olives, feta and 1/2 tablespoon oregano and toss well. Let sit for about 20 minutes.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain well in a colander but do not rinse.

Transfer the warm pasta to the mixing bowl and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the spinach, the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oregano and toss well. Season with additional salt and pepper. If desired. Serve immediately.