Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 16 oz dry penne or rotini pasta, I use DeLallo
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 English cucumber, diced, seeded (peeled or unpeeled)
- ½ red pepper, finely chopped
- 2 cups pitted Kalamata olives, drained
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 1 cup pepperoncinis, chopped
- 8 oz good quality feta cheese, crumbled
- Fresh basil, chopped
- Coarse ground black pepper
For the dressing:
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp. fresh basil, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
- Pinch of sugar
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions (usually 1 minute less is perfect). Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water, and drain again; set aside.
- In a large bowl, add tomatoes, cucumber, olives, onions, pepperoncinis, feta cheese, and fresh basil. Gently toss together and add the pasta.
- For the dressing, place the red wine vinegar, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper, fresh basil, lemon juice, garlic, and sugar in a jar with lid; shake well to mix.
- Drizzle dressing over the salad; gently toss to coat. If you need to, add more olive oil. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight for the best flavor.
- When ready to serve, toss the pasta salad again, garnish with fresh pepper and basil, and enjoy cold or at room temperature.
Notes
reposted from April 2016