Adding to my list of wonderful pasta salad recipes has to be this one for Greek pasta salad. I love a Greek salad, so substituting pasta for the lettuce seems almost too easy. This one comes together quickly, because as the pasta is cooking for about 11 minutes, the chopping of the other ingredients can easily be completed.
I like to use 3 cups of either a spiral, penne, or shell pasta for this recipe. Any other noodle type just doesn’t seem to work as well with the other ingredients. I add chopped cucumber, sliced grape tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, sliced black olives, and red onion. I estimate how much of these ingredients are needed for the amount of cooked pasta. This recipe can be sized up or down for the number of expected dinner guests.
For the dressing, here is the recipe: Mix 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil with 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar. Add freshly ground pepper to taste and about 1 teaspoon dried oregano.
I usually cook the pasta, drain and allow to cool. Run cold water over the pasta only briefly. When almost totally cool, it is fine to add to the bowl with the other chopped ingredients. Often, I reserve the feta cheese and place on top of the salad for presentation. Mix the ingredients together, and add the dressing. Chill until ready to serve to guests.
This is a wonderful picnic salad, Memorial day salad, and perfect for summer entertaining.
angel food garden 