Greek Vegetarian Pasta Salad

cBy Sandhya Hariharan - @sandhyaskitchen

A meal in a salad - that is exactly what this fresh Greek pasta salad is all about! It is packed with cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumbers, olives, feta cheese, herbs and a drench of homemade lemony garlicky dressing.

This version of cold pasta salad holds up really well on a holiday table - whether you are planning for a picnic, Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations or even a street party.

I love making pasta salads often because, they can be made ahead, and the meal is extremely healthy and delicious. Apart from the pasta, nothing else requires any cooking. Prep all the ingredients in separate bowls and make the dressing the night before and store in the refrigerator.

Assembling the salad takes literally 5 minutes! Isn’t it convenient and easy? Plus, they don’t get soggy like green salads.

This cold recipe is easy to customise and forgiving. Use pasta shape of your choice and vegetables that you enjoy. If you like you can swap the feta cheese with crumbled goat cheese or even tiny mozzarella balls.

Try this really easy vegetarian pasta salad for a bank holiday weekend for a refreshing lunch/dinner meal.

Prep time - 15 minutes

Cook time - 12 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

300g Farfalle pasta, uncooked

200g Feta cheese, cubed

100g Kalamata olives, sliced

100g cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1 medium red onion, sliced thin

100g cucumber, sliced

50g fresh baby spinach

 

For the dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

3tbsp of pasta liquid

1/2 lemon juice

2tsp garlic, minced

2tsp mixed herbs seasoning

Salt & pepper to taste

 

Toppings:

Basil leaves

Oregano

Chilli flakes

To cook the pasta, boil the pasta, as per packet instructions. Reserve a little pasta liquid for the sauce and then drain the pasta with a colander. Run the pasta under cold tap water and transfer it to a tray to cool completely.

To make the dressing, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing in a jug and set it aside. 

To serve, in a large mixing bowl, add the pasta, tomato, onion, cucumber, olives, feta cheese, spinach and the dressing. Toss them to combine. Taste and season with more salt & pepper as necessary. 

Pile into a large serving bowl and top with plenty of herbs and a pinch of chilli flakes.