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Serving of Greek pasta salad on white plate with fork to the side.

Greek Pasta Salad

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 42 minutes

Ingredients

Dressing:

  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (use more if using coarse, kosher salt)
  • ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon dried dill

Salad:

  • 12 to 16 ounces tube- or spiral-shaped pasta (like penne, cascatelli, rotini, etc.)
  • 1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1 cup diced cucumbers (about 1 small English cucumber)
  • 1 cup chopped, roasted red peppers (a 12-ounce jar, drained)
  • 1 cup black or kalamata olives, sliced or halved (6-ounce can, drained)
  • 1 cup sweet corn kernels (fresh or frozen - thaw and pat dry if frozen)
  • ½ to 1 cup crumbled feta cheese (see note)
  • ¼ to ½ cup finely diced red onion (see note)
  • Chopped fresh parsley or basil (optional)

Instructions 

  • For the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients (or shake in a jar) until well-combined. Set aside.
  • For the pasta, cook in a pot of boiling, lightly salted water until al dente, according to package directions. Drain. Let it cool to room temperature, tossing now and again to prevent sticking.
  • While the pasta cooks, start chopping ingredients for the salad.
  • Combine the pasta with all the other salad ingredients (can save feta to add last, if you want). Whisk the dressing to recombine and drizzle over the salad. Toss well.
  • Garnish with a bit more crumbled feta and fresh parsley, if desired. Serve. (If the salad has sat for a while, give it a good stir, getting the dressing up from the bottom to recombine with the salad ingredients.)

Notes

Red Onion: if you want mild onion flavor without the pungent overpowering flavor, soak the onions in ice water for 10 minutes before using. Drain and pat dry before using in the recipe.
Feta Cheese: look for feta cheese sold in a block vs pre-crumbled if you want creamier texture and flavor to the feta. It's pretty easy to find in most specialty cheese sections. 
Adaptable: all of the salad ingredients can be varied based on preferences. Add more of any (or all the ingredients) or sub in different veggies if you'd like.
Dressing: this is a lightly dressed salad. Feel free to 1 1/2 or double the dressing if you'd like more on the salad.