Greek Pasta Salad (Printable)
Mediterranean pasta tossed with fresh vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and a tangy Greek vinaigrette dressing.
# What You Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 8 oz short pasta (penne, fusilli, or rotini)
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 small cucumber, diced
03 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - 1 small red bell pepper, diced
05 - 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
→ Cheese & Olives
06 - 3.5 oz feta cheese, crumbled
07 - 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
→ Greek Vinaigrette
08 - 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
09 - 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
10 - 1 tsp dried oregano
11 - 1 garlic clove, minced
12 - 1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
13 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
# How To Cook:
01 - Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the short pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold running water to halt cooking and cool completely.
02 - While the pasta cools, dice the cucumber and red bell pepper, halve the cherry tomatoes, and thinly slice the red onion. Combine all prepared vegetables in a large salad bowl.
03 - Add the cooled pasta to the bowl of vegetables. Scatter the crumbled feta cheese and sliced Kalamata olives over the top.
04 - In a small bowl, whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, minced garlic, sea salt, and black pepper until emulsified.
05 - Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently until all ingredients are evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
06 - Refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It comes together in under thirty minutes and actually tastes better after sitting in the fridge, so you can make it hours before anyone shows up.
- The vinaigrette doubles as a marinade for practically anything else you want to throw on the grill that night.
02 -
- Do not dress the salad and leave it at room temperature for more than two hours, because the garlic and oil combination is a food safety concern in hot weather.
- Making it a full day ahead actually improves the flavor, but wait to add the feta until just before serving so it stays bright and crumbly.
03 -
- Cook the pasta one minute longer than the box says for al dente, because cold pasta always tastes firmer than hot pasta and nobody likes a chewy noodle.
- Let the dressed salad sit out at room temperature for fifteen minutes before serving, because the olive oil based dressing seizes up when too cold and mutes all the flavor.