This Greek pasta salad is loaded with crispy, crunchy veggies and tossed in a creamy whipped feta dressing that’s packed filled with recent herbs. It’s nice as a facet, a fast lunch, or perhaps a mild dinner! Plus, it’s tremendous straightforward to double when you’re bringing it to a potluck or barbecue.
For extra Greek taste, strive our straightforward Air Fryer Greek Hen and Veggies.
Why My Recipe
- The deliciousness of whipped feta mixed with a conventional Greek salad to create a craveable pasta salad.
- You’ll love the creamy selfmade dressing that’s filled with herbs and taste.
- Simple to make forward and toss collectively whenever you’re able to eat!
I really like pasta salad (as you might have seen), and I really like to modify up the flavors, so I by no means get bored. That is my latest pasta salad, and it has all the pieces you possibly can need! Everyone is speaking about whipped feta proper now, so I believed it could be good to mix it with a conventional Greek salad. It’s creamy and flavorful, but nonetheless mild and recent.
Ingredient Notes
- Rotini Pasta: Rotini’s nice for grabbing onto all that dressing. No rotini? Use one other quick pasta like fusilli or penne.
- Pink Wine Vinegar: White wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be utilized instead in the identical quantity.
- Chickpeas: Additionally referred to as garbanzo beans. Make sure that to empty and rinse.
- Cherry or Grape Tomatoes: You should use both cherry or grape tomatoes. Slice in half or quarters. Use purple, yellow, or each!
- Cucumber: Use a medium-sized cucumber that’s agency to the contact. You may substitute with an English cucumber, which has a milder taste and fewer seeds.
- Kalamata Olives: When you can’t discover them, common black olives work instead, however they’re milder in style.
- Pink Bell Pepper: Cube for the right chew. You may also use yellow or orange bell peppers, which have the same sweetness.
- Pink Onion: The best choice for consuming uncooked. We love purple onions for his or her sweetness and chew.
- Greek Yogurt: Use plain, full-fat yogurt for optimum creaminess.
- Feta Cheese: Provides that signature, tangy Greek taste to the dressing.
Pasta Choices
We love this salad with basic rotini pasta, however you’ll be able to actually use any pasta you want. Penne, bowtie, cavatappi, elbow, and shells are all nice choices that maintain that scrumptious sauce nicely.
Add Hen
This pasta salad already has chickpeas that are an ideal supply of protein, however typically you wish to add just a bit extra. Grilled or seared hen is a scrumptious addition to this pasta salad. Merely season the hen with a little bit salt and pepper, then use a grill pan or sauté in a skillet with butter or olive oil till cooked by way of.
The Secret to Taste
Tossing the purple wine vinegar with the pasta whereas it’s nonetheless heat? That’s the way you construct further taste!
Heat pasta acts like a sponge, absorbing that tangy vinegar as a substitute of letting it slide proper off. So as a substitute of tasting the zing solely on the floor, you get it during. It brightens up the entire salad, proper from the primary forkful.
Maintain Your Pasta Salad Soggy Free
No person desires a mushy pasta salad! To maintain yours recent, simply observe a number of easy tips.
First, prepare dinner the pasta till simply al dente, which implies it’s mushy sufficient to eat, however nonetheless with a little bit of chew. Overcooked pasta can collapse after sitting with the dressing.
Second, be sure that to empty the pasta nicely and let it cool barely earlier than mixing it with the remainder of the substances.
Third, when you’re prepping forward, think about storing the dressing individually and tossing all the pieces collectively simply earlier than serving. This retains the veggies crisp and the pasta from absorbing an excessive amount of liquid too quickly.
Make-Forward Directions
This salad’s tremendous straightforward to make forward. You may whip up the dressing 1 to 2 days early and stash it within the fridge. Then prepare dinner the pasta the evening earlier than. Simply retailer them individually so all the pieces stays recent. While you’re able to eat, all you’ve acquired to do is chop up the veggies and toss all of it collectively in a giant bowl. Achieved and performed.
Storage Directions
Refrigerate leftovers in an hermetic container for as much as 3 days. Any longer, and the veggies will change into soggy and the sauce will start to separate.