Do you need to bring a side dish to a bar-b-q this weekend? I have one you can bring that is colorful and full of flavor!
It also travels well since it doesn’t contain mayonnaise or eggs so you don’t have to be concerned about it sitting out in the heat. (One of the hazards of living in Arizona!) To top it all off, this pasta salad has a homemade dressing that makes all the difference. It is tangy and herby and is the perfect complement to all the yummy ingredients.
This dressing has a few ingredients, but they are mostly items you would already have in your pantry anyway (except maybe the lemon juice), and it comes together very quickly. I like to put all the ingredients in a mason jar, and shake them up. Then I pour about half of the dressing on the salad and toss it (all except the feta as it tends to get a little mushy). Then, right before serving I’ll add the feta and more dressing, so that it isn’t too dry since a lot of the dressing gets soaked up immediately by the pasta (those noodles are so greedy)!
You can use any pasta you like for this salad. I usually pick bow tie pasta as I just love how pretty they are, and they hold the dressing really well, but any would be fine.
This recipe is a good one to have on hand for the summer for so many different reasons. It is nice and light and you don’t have to heat up your oven to make it. And, it is perfect picnic food packed in a small jar and served with sandwiches. Another nice thing about this side dish is you can customize it to fit the needs and/or likes of your family. Our daughter is allergic to olives so if she is going to be eating it, I leave the olives out. Although, the olives are my favorite part so sometimes I make a separate salad just for her. But as long as it has this dressing on it, it is still going to taste great! It is definitely a family favorite, and if you get a chance to try it, I hope you enjoy this pasta salad as much as we do! 
Greek Pasta Salad
For the Pasta Salad:
- 1/2 – 3/4 lb. bow tie pasta, cooked and drained according to package directions
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3/4 jar (9.5 oz.) pitted kalamata olives, halved
- 1 cucumber with skin left on, quartered and sliced
- 1/2 large purple onion, quartered and thinly sliced
- 1 (6 oz.) container crumbled feta cheese
For the Dressing:
- 1/2 c canola oil
- 1/2 c olive oil
- 1/2 c fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp. dried oregano leaves
- 1 to 1 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper, plus more for garnish
- 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 4 tsp. honey
- 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
- Place the cooked pasta, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, and onions in a medium bowl. Don’t add the feta at this point.
- Combine dressing ingredients in a jar. Shake until mixed thoroughly.
- Pour about half of dressing over the pasta salad ingredients. Stir gently to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, pour a little more dressing and half the feta into the bowl with the other ingredients. Mix and check to see if you need more dressing so that it isn’t dry. Add as much as you need.
- Sprinkle the top with the rest of the feta cheese and additional pepper.
- Refrigerate any leftovers.
Recipe from Cook AZ I Do
