This fast and simple Greek pasta salad takes solely quarter-hour and showcases conventional Mediterranean delicacies components: tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, olives, pink onions, and feta cheese. The traditional do-it-yourself Greek dressing will develop into a household favourite in your house. This meatless, vegetarian pasta salad is ideal for a starter, aspect dish, lunch, or dinner! Make it forward and share it with your loved ones and pals at summer time picnics and potlucks.
20-minute Greek pasta salad
The Greek pasta salad is scrumptious and makes a ravishing presentation — excellent for a vacation or an important day. Elevate it to an entrée by including a protein, corresponding to grilled salmon, pan-seared shrimp, or rooster. It retains properly refrigerated – nice for making forward and sharing with the gang at Summer time events, barbeques, and household gatherings. This 20-minute recipe makes a shocking vegetarian appetizer, mild meal, or dinner! Should you love Greek-inspired recipes, try my Greek orzo and family-favorite Greek rooster and lemon rice.
The components
- Pasta. Use brief pasta, corresponding to fusilli, farfalle (bow-tie pasta), penne, rigatoni, fusilli, or orecchiette. Orzo is a superb possibility, as properly. Cook dinner the pasta al dente for one of the best texture and rinse it underneath chilly water after cooking to forestall it from changing into mushy.
- Cherry tomatoes. I used 2 colours: yellow and pink. Slice them in half.
- Cucumber. Use two medium cucumbers or one giant one.
- Bell pepper. I used pink bell pepper as a result of it provides such a pop of shade! I like to recommend utilizing pink, yellow, or orange bell peppers.
- Olives. Use pitted black, inexperienced, or kalamata olives. I used a combo of black and inexperienced olives.
- Feta cheese has a tender texture and briny taste. Good for a creamy Greek pasta salad.
- Pink onion gives a zesty chew. You do not want a lot – solely about ¼ cup of chopped onions.
Methods to make conventional Greek salad dressing
- Salad dressing components embrace further virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, pink wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
- I like to recommend utilizing freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice (not bottled) and further virgin olive oil.
- I additionally like including one tablespoon of honey to steadiness the flavors.
- You should use dried Italian seasoning or Herbs from Provance as a substitute of oregano.
- Mix all of the dressing components in a mason jar or a small high-sided mixing bowl and whisk with the fork (or shut the jar with the lid and shake it vigorously to mix the flavors).
- You may as well combine all of the dressing components in a big mixing bowl the place you’ll assemble all salad components – that manner you save yet another bowl to scrub!
Methods to make Greek pasta salad
This vegetarian pasta salad takes solely 20 minutes! You possibly can serve it instantly or refrigerate it for as much as 4 days. Under is the overview. The detailed recipe (with quantities) is on the backside of this put up (within the recipe card).
- Cook dinner the pasta in boiling water in response to the bundle directions. Drain, rinse with chilly water, and drain once more. Within the meantime, proceed with the remainder of the recipe.
- Make salad dressing in a big mixing bowl (you will additionally use the identical bowl for pasta salad) by whisking collectively further virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, pink wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Put together the veggies. In the identical giant mixing bowl, add diced tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, pink onion, and olives.
- Add pasta. Add drained cooked pasta and feta cheese to the bowl with veggies. Toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper.
Variations and substitutions
- Pasta. I like to recommend short-cut pasta: small shells, fusilli (spiral pasta), bow-tie pasta (farfalle), penne, rigatoni, or rotini.
- Use a mix of kalamata, black, and inexperienced olives for a burst of taste and a vibrant contact. The kalamata olives supply a gentler taste, whereas the totally different colours of olives add depth and visible enchantment.
- Veggies. This vegetarian Greek pasta salad would even be scrumptious with asparagus, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichokes, and zucchini.
- Add leafy greens, corresponding to arugula, backyard greens, or lettuce.
- Cheese. This recipe makes use of feta cheese. You may as well add small Mozzarella balls (pearls), sliced Mozzarella, or cubed Parmesan.
- Salad Dressing. Make a dressing from scratch or use store-bought Italian or Greek dressing.
- Don’t love pink onions? Attempt chopped inexperienced onions.
- Lime or lemon will work nice. Freshly squeezed juice is at all times one of the best!
Ideas for Success
- Cook dinner pasta al dente for one of the best texture, particularly if you wish to make it forward. To cook dinner pasta al dente, you usually must boil it 2 minutes shorter than regular. For instance, if the bundle directions inform you to boil pasta for 10 minutes, cook dinner the pasta in boiling water for 8 minutes as a substitute.
- Rinse the cooked pasta in a colander underneath chilly working water to forestall it from persevering with to cook dinner in its personal warmth. No one likes a mushy pasta salad.
- Make it gluten-free. Use the gluten-free pasta of your alternative. Lentil or chickpea gluten-free pasta will style nice right here.
- Make it dairy-free by utilizing vegan Feta cheese.
Methods to serve it
- Serve it chilly, room temperature, or heat!
- It is a meatless, vegetarian meal that is filling, holds its personal, and does not want any meat, if you don’t need it.
- So as to add meatless protein, toss it with 14 oz of drained canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans).
- Different protein concepts. The Greek pasta salad pairs properly together with your favourite proteins, corresponding to grilled, baked, or pan-seared meats (rooster, pork, lamb, steak) or seafood (salmon, shrimp, scallops).
Are you able to make it forward?
- This conventional Greek pasta salad options solely tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, pink onion, and feta cheese (no leafy greens). When mixed in a salad, these components maintain properly refrigerated and style even higher the following day as they marinate with the dressing and launch juices!
- You can also make it as much as a day prematurely. Or, make it within the morning, refrigerate it in an hermetic container, and serve it for lunch or dinner the identical day.
- Good for meal prep. Or, freeze it inside 24 hours for as much as 2 months.
Storage Ideas
Greek pasta salad will get solely higher higher because it sits within the fridge. It is best to serve it inside 2 days, however you may maintain it refrigerated in an hermetic container for as much as 4 days.
What to serve with Greek pasta salad
Flip Greek pasta salad into an entrée by including grilled or leftover cooked rooster, salmon, shrimp, or steak. Sliced or torn rotisserie rooster is a scrumptious addition, too! You may as well add all types of seafood apart from salmon and shrimp: scallops, lemon cod, baked halibut, lobster, or grilled octopus. Toss the salad with drained cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for a meatless protein addition. These choices will elevate Greek pasta salad right into a extra filling Mediterranean meal. In search of particular recipes? Listed below are some concepts:
Different pasta salads you may like
- Corn Pasta Salad with Bacon and Creamy Pesto Dressing
- Mexican Road Corn Pasta Salad
- Spaghetti Salad
- Summer time Pasta Salad with Peaches, Spinach, Tomatoes, Prosciutto, and Mozzarella Cheese
- Broccoli Ranch Pasta Salad with Bacon, Tomatoes, Candy Peas, and Cheddar Cheese
20-Minute Greek Pasta Salad
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Components
Pasta
- 12 oz bow-tie pasta (farfalle) or another short-cut pasta
Salad dressing
- ¼ cup further virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons pink wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- freshly floor black pepper to style
Salad components
- 12 oz cherry or grape tomatoes (pink and yellow) sliced in half
- 2 medium cucumbers quartered
- 1 medium pink bell pepper diced
- ⅓ cup pink onion chopped
- ⅓ cup pitted black olives sliced
- ⅓ cup pitted inexperienced olives sliced
- 4 oz crumbled feta cheese
Directions
Cook dinner pasta
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Convey a big pot of water to a boil. Cook dinner pasta in response to bundle directions. As soon as the pasta is cooked, drain it and instantly rinse it with chilly water. Drain once more.
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Whereas the pasta is cooking, proceed with the remainder of the recipe.
Make dressing
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Mix the salad dressing components in a big mixing bowl (additionally, you will use the identical bowl for pasta salad). Whisk with a fork till emulsified.
Assemble the salad
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To the identical giant bowl with the salad dressing, add sliced cherry tomatoes, quartered cucumber slices, diced bell pepper, pink onion, and olives. Combine the dressing totally with the veggies. Allow them to marinate whereas the pasta is cooking. The tomatoes ought to launch juices.
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Add drained and rinsed pasta and crumbled feta cheese to the bowl with marinated veggies. Toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper. Add extra lemon juice if desired.
Notes
Useful ideas
- Rinse cooked pasta underneath chilly water earlier than including to the salad. You need pasta to cease cooking and stop it from getting mushy.
- Salad dressing choices. Make a dressing from scratch or use store-bought Italian or Greek.
- Veggies. Add mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichokes, or zucchini.
- Add leafy greens, corresponding to spinach or arugula.
- Cheese. Different choices apart from feta are small Mozzarella balls (pearls), sliced Mozzarella, and cubed or grated Parmesan.
- To make it gluten-free, use the gluten-free pasta of your alternative. As soon as cooked, rinse the pasta with chilly water to forestall it from getting mushy.
- Make it dairy-free. Use dairy-free, vegan feta cheese as a substitute of normal.
- Methods to serve it? Serve it heat, at room temperature, or chilly.
Storage ideas
- You possibly can retailer the leftovers refrigerated in an air-tight container for as much as 4 days.
- Make-ahead tip: Do not add the dressing if you happen to plan on refrigerating the salad for a day or two. Add the dressing proper earlier than serving.
Vitamin
