Greek Pasta Salad (Printable)
A vibrant Mediterranean salad with al dente pasta, crisp vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and a zesty Greek vinaigrette.
# What You’ll 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 - ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
→ Cheese & Olives
06 - 3.5 oz feta cheese, crumbled
07 - ⅓ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
→ Dressing
08 - 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
09 - 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
10 - 1 tsp dried oregano
11 - 1 garlic clove, minced
12 - ½ tsp sea salt, or to taste
13 - ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
# Directions:
01 - Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold running water until completely cooled.
02 - In a large salad bowl, combine the diced cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, diced red bell pepper, and thinly sliced red onion.
03 - Add the cooled pasta to the bowl of prepared vegetables and toss gently to distribute evenly.
04 - Fold in the crumbled feta cheese and sliced Kalamata olives.
05 - In a small bowl, whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, minced garlic, sea salt, and black pepper until well emulsified.
06 - Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently until all ingredients are evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
07 - Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The dressing seeps into every crevice of the pasta so each forkful bursts with flavor, not just the vegetables on top.
- It actually tastes better after sitting in the fridge, which makes it the rare dish you can fully prepare hours before guests arrive without any last minute stress.
02 -
- Rinsing the pasta is essential here even though it goes against everything you learned about hot pasta dishes, because leftover starch turns the salad gummy and clumped by the time it cools.
- Do not skip the resting period, because a warm or room temperature version of this salad tastes flat and greasy compared to one that has chilled and allowed the vinaigrette to soak in.
03 -
- Make double the vinaigrette and keep the extra in a jar for quick salads throughout the week, because it holds for at least five days and tastes good on everything from greens to roasted vegetables.
- Slice all the vegetables roughly the same size as the pasta so every forkful delivers a balanced bite instead of a mouthful of only onion or a single enormous tomato half.