I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone that doesn’t like pasta salad, and honestly, what’s not to like?
Pasta tossed with lots of feta and dressing plus veggies feels just indulgent enough, while still totally appropriate for a weekday lunch. I’ve been making this salad forever, and it hits every time. More recently, I've started gussying it up with raw and roasted tomatoes and marinated feta for an extra special kick (yum!).
The trick with cold pasta is that it absorbs a lot of liquid, which can make it become dry and less saucy over time- not ideal. To combat this, a healthy dose of dressing is needed, so don’t shy away from the amounts here because it’ll make for an extra delicious result. Also feel free to use your pasta of choice here, like gluten free, whole wheat or lentil-based pasta for added protein and fibre.
Simple enough for weekday lunches, but special enough to bring to a potluck barbecue, this salad is always a crowd-pleaser and won’t let you down.
Greek Pasta Salad
serves 4-6
1 454g box of pasta such as rigatoni, penne, or a another short noodle
1 bell pepper, diced
3 mini cucumbers, or one regular-sized cucumber, diced
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup of fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 cup of crumbled feta
For the roasted tomatoes:
1 pint of cherry tomatoes on the vine
1/4 cup of olive oil
salt
pepper
For the dressing:
3/4 cup olive oil ( 1/2 cup, plus 1/4 cup from the roasted tomatoes)
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp white vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tbsp sugar
2 cloves of garlic, grated
1 tsp kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 300 F. Add the tomatoes on the vine to a small baking dish, drizzle 1/4 cup of olive oil on top, and season well with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes until burst and caramelized, 45-60 minutes. Allow to cool.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to the instructions on the box, then drain and rinse well with cool water.
To a large bowl, add the chopped vegetables, cooked pasta and chopped basil, topping to combine. To make the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients plus the oil from the roasted tomatoes, then add to the pasta and toss well again until the noodles and vegetables are well coated. Add in the marinated feta and stir again. Refrigerate the pasta salad until ready to serve. It will keep in the fridge for up to one week.
*Note that the marinated feta and roasted tomatoes are optional, but recommended. If you want to save time, just add all of the tomatoes to the bowl along with the rest of the vegetables instead of roasting and add an extra 1/4 cup of olive oil to the dressing.