Name: Greek Pasta Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 17 min
Ingredients: 300 g Pasta shapes; 1 Green pepper, (diced); 0.5 Cucumber, (diced); 0.5 Red onion, (thinly sliced); 8 Cherry tomatoes (halved); 12 Mixed olives; 60 g Feta, (crumbled); 3 tbsp Olive oil; 2 tbsp Red wine vinegar; 1 Lemon ((Juice and zest)); 1 Pinch Each of sea salt and black pepper; 2 Garlic cloves, (crushed); 0.5 cup Fresh dill, (finely chopped); 1 tbsp Dried oregano

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Pasta salads are a must at a BBQ or picnic. Don’t get stuck in a rut when it comes to them - make this vegetable packed Greek Pasta Salad that’s a real crowd pleaser, so easy to make and basically summer in a bowl. Chunky pasta, a zesty dressing and plenty of feta and olives. The leftovers are a great salad to pack and take to work too.

Pasta salad is normally the centre of any BBQ or picnic as it’s easy to make, usually pretty cheap and good to feed a crowd. No need to make a separate Greek salad and pasta salad, as you can just combine them in this delicious Greek Pasta Salad. All your favourite Greek flavours in a filling healthy pasta salad dish.

A Greek salad is one of the greatest salads there is. It’s crunchy, it’s creamy and it’s salty. It really has it all. But it’s not overly filling, which is why it’s usually a side dish. It’s pretty much just vegetables and cheese, which is why we mixed in some pasta to make it a filling meal or healthy BBQ side.

What Pasta To Use For a Pasta Salad?

We have used a spiral pasta because the dressing clings to it really well and it's easy for toddlers to pick up as well, so we always have some in the cupboard. You could use any pasta that you have though, and we often use Fusilli, penne or conchiglie instead. Feel free to adapt this recipe to use what you already have, rather than buying new ingredients. It works with orzo too if you want something smaller.

What Dressing To Use

We always say that it's the dressing that makes a salad, but we have kept this nice and simple and used a red wine vinaigrette. It allows the main focus to be on all the delicious Greek flavours, rather than having an over-powering dressing.

We just mixed together some olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and zest, garlic and salt and pepper and it really brings all the flavours together. Its a dressing you can make from ingredients you probably already have in your cupboard.

How Long Will Pasta Salad Keep in the Fridge?

This will keep in an air-tight container for around 3 - 5 days, so it's a good pasta salad to make a day or so ahead if you are having a big BBQ or to store in the fridge for your work lunches for the week. Ours never lasts that long though, as we keep eating it. You won't be able to stop yourself with this delicious pasta salad.

Extra Salad Toppings

We kept this pasta salad vegetarian and you get lots of texture from the crunchy cucumber and juicy tomatoes. Not to mention the olive and cheese too. But you could always add chicken, salmon, prawns or tuna if you wanted to, or chickpeas for a vegetarian option. But this really isn't missing meat.

This salad is bursting with chunky vegetables, but there is always room for more. Other ways we have made this in the past include using chopped up roasted red peppers and artichokes. Feel free to use anything you have that needs using up.

We crumbled feta on top of this, because feta is life in Greek food. But if you are not a fan, you could add some chunks of grilled halloumi instead.

How To Make this Greek Pasta Salad- Step by Step:

One: Add the pasta to a pan of lightly salted boiling water and simmer for 12 minutes and the drain.
Two: Put everything, apart from the feta, in to a large bowl and mix well.
Three: Crumble the feta on top just before serving.

Other Greek Recipes To Try:

Greek Halloumi Flatbreads
Greek Lamb Traybake
Greek Roasted Vegetables
Tzatziki
Greek Chicken Skewers
Greek Turkey and Feta Burgers
Greek Baked White Fish

SOME EXTRA TIPS FOR THIS DISH:

If you are not a fan of feta, you could use chunks of cheddar or parmesan instead or even grilled halloumi.
If you want to give this salad a bit of a protein boost, add some slices of grilled chicken or a salmon fillet on top.
Turn this in to a creamy pasta salad by using a creamy salad dressing instead. A ranch or caesar would work well.

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Greek Pasta Salad