Greek Pasta Salad with Feta (Printable)
Colorful Mediterranean pasta toss with feta, olives, and a zesty lemon-herb dressing. Ready in 30 minutes.
# 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 - ½ tsp salt
15 - ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
16 - Zest of 1 lemon
# How-To:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the short pasta and cook 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, diced 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 emulsified and well blended.
04 - Pour the prepared dressing over the pasta and vegetable mixture. Toss gently but thoroughly until every component is evenly coated.
05 - Gently fold in the crumbled or cubed feta cheese, chopped parsley, and dill if using, taking care not to break apart the feta.
06 - Taste the salad and adjust salt and pepper as desired. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The dressing doubles as a marinade for chicken or roasted vegetables so you get two recipes in one.
- It tastes even better the next day which means you can make it ahead and actually enjoy your own party.
02 -
- Rinsing the pasta is essential here because residual heat keeps cooking it and you want firm texture not a soft mess.
- Adding the feta last and folding gently prevents it from dissolving into the dressing which I learned after making a salty paste the first time.
03 -
- Let the salad sit out of the fridge for about ten minutes before serving because the olive oil based dressing seizes up when too cold and mutes the flavor.
- Always save a small amount of dressing to drizzle on top right before serving since the pasta absorbs so much overnight.