Yields: 4-6 Servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Chill Time: At least 30 minutes
Ingredients
Pasta
- 12 ounces of your favorite short pasta shape (rotini, penne, farfalle, orzo all work great)
Vegetables
- 1 English cucumber, diced
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
Dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Optional additions
- Chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, dill)
- Roasted red peppers
- Artichoke hearts
- Pepperoncini peppers
- Capers
Instructions
1. Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
2. Prepare the vegetables: While the pasta cooks, dice the cucumber, halve the tomatoes, halve the olives, thinly slice the red onion, and crumble the feta.
3. Make the dressing: In a small jar or bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
4. Toss the salad: In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, and red onion. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat evenly.
5. Chill: Cover the bowl and refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 30 minutes (or preferably a few hours) to allow the flavors to meld.
6. Customize and serve: Before serving, taste the salad and adjust salt and pepper if needed. Add any optional additions you’d like. Enjoy chilled!
Tips
Salt your pasta water: Generously salting the pasta water ensures the pasta itself is flavorful.
Don’t overcook the pasta: Al dente pasta provides a better texture in the salad.
Chill time is your friend: The longer the flavors sit together, the tastier your pasta salad will be.
Play with ingredients: This recipe is very forgiving! Feel free to add or substitute ingredients based on your preferences or what you have on hand.
