Greek Pasta Salad with Feta (Printer-friendly)
A refreshing Mediterranean pasta toss with feta, olives, and a zesty lemon herb dressing.
# What You Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 10 oz short pasta (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 - ½ tsp salt
15 - ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
16 - Zest of 1 lemon
# How to Make It:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain in 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, red bell pepper, halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, and halved Kalamata olives.
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 well emulsified.
04 - Pour the prepared dressing over the pasta and vegetable mixture. Toss gently but thoroughly to ensure everything is evenly coated.
05 - Gently fold in the crumbled or cubed feta cheese, chopped parsley, and dill if using, taking care not to break up the feta too much.
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.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It tastes like something you would overpay for at a deli, but you made it in your kitchen in half an hour.
- The dressing alone is worth memorizing, bright and sharp, and it clings to every ridge of the pasta like it was meant to be there.
02 -
- Do not skip rinsing the pasta, because residual heat will continue cooking it and turn your salad into something soft and forgettable.
- Making this a day ahead actually improves it, as the dressing soaks into the pasta and transforms the texture from good to irresistible.
03 -
- Halve the olives rather than leaving them whole, because a full olive in one bite is overwhelming and nobody wants to fish around for equal distribution.
- Zest the lemon before you juice it for anything else, because once the fruit is cut and squeezed the zest becomes nearly impossible to harvest cleanly.