Greek Pasta Salad with Feta (Printable Version)
Colorful Mediterranean pasta toss with feta, olives, and a zesty lemon-oregano dressing.
# What You Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 10 oz short pasta such as penne, rotini, or fusilli
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 English cucumber, diced
03 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
04 - 7 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
05 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
06 - 3.5 oz Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
→ Cheese & Herbs
07 - 5 oz feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
08 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
09 - 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped (optional)
→ Dressing
10 - 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
11 - 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
12 - 1 tsp dried oregano
13 - 1 garlic clove, minced
14 - 1/2 tsp salt
15 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
16 - Zest of 1 lemon
# How-To Steps:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain through a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold running water to halt cooking and cool the pasta completely.
02 - In a large salad bowl, toss together the cooled pasta, diced cucumber, diced red bell pepper, halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, and halved Kalamata olives until evenly distributed.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, minced garlic, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and lemon zest until the dressing is smooth and well emulsified.
04 - Pour the prepared dressing over the salad ingredients and toss thoroughly, ensuring every component is evenly coated with the vinaigrette.
05 - Gently fold in the crumbled or cubed feta cheese, chopped fresh parsley, and dill if using, taking care not to break up the feta pieces excessively.
06 - Taste the salad and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.
# Helpful Tips:
01 -
- The dressing doubles as a marinade, so you can drizzle extra over grilled vegetables or chicken and feel like a genius.
- It tastes even better after sitting in the fridge, which means zero stress if you want to make it a day ahead.
02 -
- Do not skip rinsing the pasta, because the residual heat will continue cooking it and turn your salad mushy.
- Tossing the dressing while the pasta is still slightly warm helps it absorb more flavor than waiting until everything is ice cold.
03 -
- Dice all your vegetables to roughly the same size as the pasta so you get a little bit of everything in each bite.
- Let the dressed salad sit at room temperature for about ten minutes before serving, because the cold dulls the flavor more than you might expect.