I must be on a Greek kick this summer, I’ve made multiple dishes with Greek flavors. But I can’t help it. It’s simple, fresh and really really tasty. I actually cooked this dish earlier this summer when I was in Colorado with my family. We made several different batches. One for my mom and I with feta and no olives and the other for my dad and sisters that had no feta (dad can’t have cheese on his cancer diet) and olives.
It was the perfect picnic food and held up well over the trip up the valley. Hooray for no mayo pasta salad! Dear Lord do I hate mayo. Along with the pasta salad we’d all made sandwiches from the biggest honey baked ham I think I’d ever seen and had a few slices of Cripps Pink apples. A new variety for me, but very very tasty.
The picnic was cut short by a sudden rainstorm, but everyone was pleased with their lunch and their version of pasta salad. I would recommend splashing a bit more red wine vinegar the next day to help loosen the noodles up and give it a bit more tang. The longer it sits, the more the noodles soak up.
The recipe made a lot more than I expected, so we continued to eat it with lunch for the next few days. Man, just writing this has me craving it again. Do you have a thing for Greek food like me?
GREEK PASTA SALAD
Notes
- 3/4 lb. fusilli pasta
- 3/4 of an English cucumber, seeded and diced
- 2 medium tomatoes, cubed
- 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
- 2/3 cup reduced feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives
- 2 Tbsp fresh dill weed, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- Cook pasta according to directions, drain and rinse with cold water. Make sure you do not overcook the pasta as the vinaigrette will continue to break it down.
- Meanwhile, prep all the vegetables and combine everything through dill weed in a large mixing bowl. Add pasta and toss.
- In a small bowl, combine garlic, dried oregano and red wine vinegar. Slowly whisk in the the olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour the vinaigrette over the pasta salad and toss to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.
