Greek Pasta Salad combines a whole bunch of favourite flavours and has the ability to stand up to summer gatherings without a single piece of lettuce wilting! Hooray! The flavours here are all the we know and love in Greek Salad, including oregano, olives, and gorgeous salty feta cheese. Usually, I see Greek Salad made with fresh spinach or romaine lettuce, but I thought I’d use pasta at a recent barbecue to help it stand up to the heat. I used fusilli pasta because the dressing sticks to it really well, and let’s face it, those tri-coloured noodles are super cute.
For eight people, I cooked the entire 375 g package of pasta according to the directions on the box. Make sure you don’t overcook this or you will end up with very a soggy Greek Pasta Salad (voice of experience talking here). Toward the end of your cooking time, remove one noodle and blow it to cool, then eat it. If it’s done just how you like it, strain the noodles. If not, cook for one minute more and try another noodle. When I have a very full pot of pasta I have been known to test 4-6 pieces of pasta to make sure I get it right.
In this version I put an entire cucumber through my hand spiralizer (because these things are so much fun!) and it makes cucumber look like spaghetti (you can see it in the picture here, looking its very best). I actually took this picture before the tomatoes went on so that you could see the cucumber strands, however, you don’t need a spiralizer to make a great salad, okay? You can chop your cucumber up and just toss it in, but I really enjoy playing with my food and that spiralizer is going to get a good workout this summer!
A nice variation to traditional Greek salad this pasta version makes for a hearty side dish at lunch or supper, and it can stand up to the rigours of packing it up to take to a barbecue. The tangy dressing, salty feta, and fresh delicious tomatoes set it off perfectly.
- 4-6 Cups Cooked pasta (or fresh spinach or romaine lettuce)
- 1 entire English cucumber, partly peeled then chopped or spiralized
- 1/2 Cup Pitted black olives
- 1 Whole Green or red pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 Medium Red onion thinly sliced
- 2 Cups Cheery tomatoes, halved, or chopped larger tomatoes
- 200 g Crumbled Feta cheese
Dressing
- 2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
- 4 Tbsp Your best extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Dried oregano or 2 tsp fresh
- 1/2 tsp freshly chopped garlic
- To taste Ground black pepper
- To taste Salt
Optional
- 1/2 tsp dried dill or 1 tsp fresh chopped dill
Servings: people
Units:
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions and taste a noodle or two to check and make sure it’s cooked to your liking. Be careful not to over cook.
- When pasta is cooked to your liking, pour it into a colander that is resting flat on the bottom of the sink. Fill your pot with cold water and gently pour it over the pasta to help stop the cooking and cool it off. You may need to repeat the cold water step two or three times, and then check the pasta to make sure it is at room temperature or cooler.
- While pasta is cooking, prepare the dressing in a measuring cup or a small bowl. Combine with a fork or whisk, and set aside.
- Prepare the remaining vegetables and herbs.
- Pour the cooled pasta into your salad dish, add the vegetables and herbs, then give your dressing a stir before adding the feta. Give your Greek pasta salad a final stir, and serve.
Recipe Notes
Note: *If you are a little worried about making your own Greek salad dressing, or don’t have all the ingredients handy, don’t worry! There are really nice bottled options at the supermarket; just find one you like and go with it. If it’s not quite to your taste, you can always pour some dressing into a measuring cup and make some adjustments. Sometimes I need a little more garlic or a squeeze of lemon juice. If you like it spicy, you can add hot sauce to your dressing. The important job of dressing is to fancy up all those veggies to make them tantalizing to your taste buds!
If you try this recipe out, let me know how you liked it! We’re all about sharing and inspiring people with good eating, and appreciate your input!
