Greek Pasta Salad
Lighten things up with this delicious Greek Pasta Salad. Made with a variety of fresh vegetables, fusilli pasta, feta cheese and topped with a homemade dressing. This is perfect for your next cookout or to enjoy as a meal by itself.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
For The Pasta Salad
- 16 ounces fusilli pasta or another small pasta you prefer
- ½ medium red onion peeled and thinly sliced into semi-circles
- 1 English cucumber diced into ½" cubes
- ¾ cup kalamata olives roughly chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 red bell pepper diced into ½" cubes
- ¾ - 1 cup feta cheese half for topping
- salt for pasta water
For The Dressing
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar or honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Peel and thinly slice the onion into semi-circles. Then place the semi-circles into a bowl of ice water and let soak for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes strain and pat dry with paper towels.
- Place a large pot filled with water on the stove top and salt to taste. Once boiling, add the pasta, stir, and cook for the directed amount of time on the package. Usually 10-12 minutes. Once cooked, strain and rinse well with cold water and allow to drain in the colander for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the pasta to a large bowl and add the soaked onions, cucumber, kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, and half of the feta cheese. Set aside.
- To make the dressing: In a medium bowl combine the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, granulated sugar, dijon mustard, dried oregano, sea salt, and ground black pepper. Whisk vigorously until well combined.
- Pour ¾ of the dressing over the pasta salad and toss until fully coated. Taste and add the remaining dressing if you like.
- Sprinkle the remaining feta cheese over the pasta salad and serve.
Notes
- Soaking the onions will keep the onion flavor, but remove the sharpness so the taste isn't overpowering.
- Feel free to increase or decrease the amount of veggies in this recipe, just note that you may need more or less dressing depending on the adjustments you make.