Greek Pasta Salad With Feta Cheese
This favorite and easy pasta salad leans heavy on the salad and feta for an especially fresh and colorful pasta salad with tons of flavor. Tossed with feta, basil, tomatoes, and olives, this feeds a crowd and is ready in 20 minutes.
Servings: 6 to 8 people as a side
Calories: 417kcal
Ingredients
- 12 oz. small- to medium-shaped pasta, such as ditalini or rotelle
- 12 ounces fresh baby arugula
- 1 pound grape tomatoes, halved
- 4 ounces fresh Greek feta, crumbled (about 1 generous cup)
- 1/2 cup pitted black olives, chopped (I prefer Kalamata)
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 cup loosely-packed basil leaves, chopped
- 1/4 cup loosely-packed mint leaves
- 1/4 cup loosely-packed Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in generously-salted water until al dente. Drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the other ingredients as needed: halve the grape tomatoes, zest and juice the lemon, chop the olives and herbs, and so on.
- Set a few grape tomato halves and a couple tablespoons of feta cheese aside for a garnish. Then, in a large mixing bowl, combine the arugula, the remaining tomatoes and feta cheese, olives, lemon juice, zest, oregano, basil, mint, parsley, a generous pinch of salt, fresh pepper, and the olive oil. Toss to combine. Add the pasta. Toss once more and taste for seasoning.
- Transfer to a serving bowl, top with the reserved feta and tomatoes, and serve.
Notes
This Greek pasta salad with feta cheese is best served at room temperature.
Preparing in Advance
This dish is best served fresh, and not stored in the refrigerator. Cold pasta tends to become brittle and dry, the arugula will wilt, and the tomatoes release too much liquid. That said, you can prepare many of the components in advance, and simply assemble and serve.- To reheat pre-cooked pasta, dunk it in a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds to one minute, just to heat through. Drain.
- You can crumble the feta, halve the tomatoes, chop the olives, and zest and juice the lemon up to one day in advance. Keep covered in the fridge. Save the fresh herbs for right before assembly. They (especially basil) will wilt and lose some flavor if chopped in advance.
Nutrition
Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 416mg | Potassium: 577mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2421IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 222mg | Iron: 2mg
Disclaimer: Nutrition information is provided for courtesy purposes only, and is an estimate not verified by medical or nutrition experts. Read the full nutrition disclaimer.
