Summer is the perfect time for this Mediterranean Pasta Salad. It’s an easy-to-make recipe packed with flavor.
Are you tired of the same old pasta salad recipe? Do you want to try something new and flavorful that your family and friends will love? If so, give this recipe for Mediterranean Pasta Salad a try. It’s perfect for easy summer dinners, picnics, BBQs, potlucks, and leftover work lunches.
Having a pasta salad in the refrigerator is convenient for anyone who wants to avoid unhealthy snacking. Most kids are happy to eat pasta anytime, and if you are like me, finding something better to turn to than potato chips and pretzels is always a good idea. A few satisfying forkfuls of this Mediterranean Pasta Salad instead are both tasty and filling.
Why You Will Love Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Where do I begin with why you will love this Mediterranean Pasta Salad? First, the ease and simplicity of how quickly this dish comes together makes meal prep a breeze. While your pasta is boiling, you can prepare the remainder of the ingredients and the dressing. It takes only 15 minutes to put together. However, leave yourself an hour of chilling time in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld together once assembled.
Second, this salad tastes fantastic! The Mediterranean-style dressing, with olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon, honey, garlic, and oregano, is big on flavor and antioxidants. Not only is it good to eat, but it is also good for you. Finally, as with other pasta salads, it’s easily customizable to suit your tastes or to use up ingredients you have at home. This recipe lets you whip up a healthy and delicious meal quickly.
How to Choose the Right Pasta for Pasta Salad
Choosing the correct type of pasta is crucial when making pasta salad. Short, textured pasta works best, and my favorites are farfalle (bow tie), penne, cavatappi (corkscrew), rotini, and fusilli. These pasta shapes have ridges, curves, nooks, or crannies that trap the bits of cheese and dressing. Rotelle pasta, which looks like little wagon wheels, also works well. You can also substitute gluten-free pasta shapes in this recipe.
Remember to cook your pasta al dente so it is still firm. You don’t want it falling apart in the salad. That typically means removing 1 to 2 minutes from the cooking time. Also, after you drain the pasta, rinse it with cold water and toss it in a bit of olive oil to keep it from sticking together as it cools. You can spread the pasta on a pan or cookie sheet to speed up the cooling time.
How to Make Ahead and Store
Once prepared, you can store the Mediterranean Pasta Salad in a covered, airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Making the pasta salad the day before gives the dressing plenty of time to absorb into the pasta and veggies.
Serving Suggestions
Hot summer days call for cool meals. I love to pair fruit salads with pasta salads, and this Tomato, Watermelon, & Blueberry Salad Recipe fits the bill. Since it also uses some of the same ingredients as the Mediterranean Pasta Salad, it makes it easy to shop.
Another family favorite for the summer is Watermelon Sorbet. It will cool everyone down on the hottest days. Try to buy a seedless watermelon to save the time spent picking out the seeds. Otherwise, removing watermelon seeds is a fun task to delegate to the kids.
Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dry short pasta such as rotini or penne
- 1 English cucumber diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 2/3 cup pitted kalamata olives sliced
- 4 ounces feta cheese crumbled
- 1/2 medium red onion thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta, diced cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced kalamata olives, crumbled feta cheese, and thinly sliced red onion.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, dried oregano, honey, minced garlic, black pepper, salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes to create the dressing.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta mixture and toss until everything is well coated.
- Chill the pasta salad in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.
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