Greek Pasta Salad In 20-Minute
This quick and easy Greek pasta salad takes only 15 minutes and showcases traditional Mediterranean cuisine ingredients: tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, olives, red onions, and feta cheese. The classic homemade Greek dressing will become a family favorite in your home. This meatless, vegetarian pasta salad is perfect for a starter, side dish, lunch, or dinner! Make it ahead and share it with your family and friends at summer picnics and potlucks.
Prep Time: 10minutes
Cook Time: 10minutes
Total Time: 20minutes
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS:
Pasta
12 oz bow-tie pasta (farfalle) or any other short-cut pasta
Salad dressing
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salad ingredients
12 oz cherry or grape tomatoes (red and yellow) sliced in half
2 medium cucumbers quartered
1 medium red bell pepper diced
⅓ cup red onion chopped
⅓ cup pitted black olives sliced
⅓ cup pitted green olives sliced
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cook pasta
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and immediately rinse it with cold water. Drain again.
While the pasta is cooking, proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Make dressing
Combine the salad dressing ingredients in a large mixing bowl (you will also use the same bowl for pasta salad). Whisk with a fork until emulsified.
Assemble the salad
To the same large bowl with the salad dressing, add sliced cherry tomatoes, quartered cucumber slices, diced bell pepper, red onion, and olives. Mix the dressing thoroughly with the veggies. Let them marinate while the pasta is cooking. The tomatoes should release juices.
Add drained and rinsed pasta and crumbled feta cheese to the bowl with marinated veggies. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add more lemon juice if desired.
Notes:
Helpful tips
Rinse cooked pasta under cold water before adding to the salad. You want pasta to stop cooking and prevent it from getting mushy.
Salad dressing options. 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, such as spinach or arugula.
Cheese. Other options besides 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 choice. Once cooked, rinse the pasta with cold water to prevent it from getting mushy.
Make it dairy-free. Use dairy-free, vegan feta cheese instead of regular.
How to serve it? Serve it warm, at room temperature, or cold.
Storage tips
You can store the leftovers refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
Make-ahead tip: Don’t add the dressing if you plan on refrigerating the salad for a day or two. Add the dressing right before serving.
Nutritional Info:
Calories: 592kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 861mg | Potassium: 668mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1932IU | Vitamin C: 59mg | Calcium: 211mg | Iron: 2mg