Description
This easy Greek Pasta Salad is filled with summer goodness. Sweet grape tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, crisp red bell peppers, fresh herbs, creamy feta, and pasta are dressed with a zesty vinaigrette. Make this refreshing salad for your next warm-weather get-together or barbeque.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Greek Dressing Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Pasta Salad Ingredients
- 8 ounces dry farfalle (bowtie) pasta
- 1 cup quartered grape tomatoes
- 3/4 cup diced Persian or English cucumber
- 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1/3 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, oregano, or basil.
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
Vinaigrete Instructions
- Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a 2-cup measuring cup. Set aside.
Pasta Salad Instructions
- In a large pot, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Cook time varies between 9-12 minutes. The pasta should be al dente. Start tasting the pasta to test for doneness at 9 minutes.
- Drain, and rinse the pasta with cold water. Cool the pasta to room temperature.
- Once the pasta has cooled to room temperature, add the grape tomatoes, cucumbers, red pepper, red onion, parsley or oregano, and feta cheese.
- Pour 2/3 of the dressing on the salad and toss. Save the remaining dressing to add right before serving the salad.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Store leftovers for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Salt the pasta water so that the salad will not be bland. Don't skip this step!
- Stir the pasta occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Cook the pasta to al dente otherwise overcooked pasta leads to a mushy salad.
- Cut the vegetable about the same size.
- Use small-shaped pasta so that the dressing can get in the nooks and crannies yielding a tastier salad.
- To mellow the flavor of the red onions, soak the onions in salted warm water (a pinch of salt) for 10 minutes. Drain before adding them to the salad.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 231
- Sugar: 2.8 g
- Sodium: 353.3 mg
- Fat: 10.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 27.4 g
- Protein: 6.3 g
- Cholesterol: 9.5 mg
Keywords: Summer salad, Greek Pasta Salad without olives, Simple Greek Pasta Salad, Best Greek Pasta Salad