We love preparing light, summery salads and one of our go-to recipes is Greek Pasta Salad, a great dish for picnics and potlucks. Sometimes meals can sit heavy in your stomach on a hot summer night, so this is the perfect dish to combat that post-meal sluggish feeling. Light and flavorful, this Greek pasta salad has the taste of the Mediterranean and that can be so refreshing on a warm summer night!
If you are able to boil water, chop a few ingredients and mix it all together, then this recipe is right up your alley. Yes, it really IS that simple!
Traditional pasta salad is made with regular pasta, but in an effort to make this dish more heart-healthy, we opted to use whole wheat pasta. Whole wheat pasta is lower in calories and carbs and as a bonus is higher in fiber and nutrients… a win-win situation!!
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Let’s talk about flavor! Some people say they don’t like the taste of the whole wheat pasta, but when you combine it with delicious flavors, you can hardly taste the difference. It really is a better option for a heart-healthy diet.
Let’s Get Started Making Greek Pasta Salad!
So let’s see how we can make this dish a number one choice in your house. Start off by choosing the pasta shape you prefer. The next step is an easy one: just boil the water and add the pasta. While your pasta is cooking, chop your cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and kalamata olives. Our next step calls for crumbling feta cheese, and we have a tip for purchasing good quality feta. If possible, purchase feta cheese in a block that is submerged in the brine. The already-crumbled feta cheese is drier and not as creamy as the block.
Next, drain the cooked pasta, add it to a large bowl and allow it to cool. Once cool, add the chopped ingredients to the bowl of pasta.
Next comes the dressing, where the flavor comes alive! Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, and spices. Whisk and pour over pasta. Give it all a gentle toss, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. The longer it marinates the more explosive the flavor. Right before serving, add some chopped fresh basil and you have the perfect summer salad, bursting with flavor and yes, good for you! Enjoy!
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Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb whole wheat pasta
- 2 cup chopped tomato
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup chopped Kalamata olives
- 1 large cucumber chopped skin on or off
- ¾ cup feta cheese
- ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- leaves fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- While pasta is cooking chop the tomato, onion, kalamata olives and cucumber, set aside.
- Crumble feta (if using a block cheese) and set aside.
- Drain pasta and add it to a large bowl. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Once cooled, combine the tomatoes, onions, olives, feta and cucumber to the pasta.
- In a small bowl whisk the oil, vinegar, garlic, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
- Pour dressing over pasta and give it a gentle toss to combine.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to marinate together.
- Right before serving add some fresh chopped basil. Your pasta salad is now ready to enjoy!
