Great Greek Pasta Salad (Easy & Flavorful!)
Make a vibrant and Great Greek Pasta Salad! This easy recipe is loaded with elbow macaroni, fresh veggies, feta cheese, olives, and a zesty homemade red wine vinaigrette.
Ingredients
(Original recipe yields 8 servings)
Red Wine Vinaigrette:
- ▢ ½ cup olive oil
- ▢ ½ cup red wine vinegar
- ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
- ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- ▢ ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ▢ ¾ teaspoon white sugar
Salad:
- ▢ 2 ½ cups cooked elbow macaroni (from about 1 to 1 ¼ cups dry)
- ▢ 3 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
- ▢ 15 cherry tomatoes, halved
- ▢ 1 cup sliced red bell peppers
- ▢ ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ▢ ½ cup chopped green onions
- ▢ 1 (4 ounce) can whole black olives, drained (and sliced if preferred)
- ▢ ¾ cup sliced pepperoni sausage, cut into strips (Optional)
- ▢ Salt, to taste (for final adjustment, if needed)
Instructions
1. Cook and Cool Pasta (if needed):
- If you haven’t already, cook approximately 1 to 1 ¼ cups of dry elbow macaroni according to package directions in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente (tender but still firm to the bite).
- Drain the cooked pasta well in a colander. Rinse briefly with cold water to stop the cooking process and cool it down slightly. Shake off excess water. Set aside.
2. Prepare Vegetables, Feta, and Pepperoni:
- While the pasta cooks or cools, prepare the other salad ingredients. Slice the fresh mushrooms. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Slice the red bell peppers (and green, if using from original title, though only red is in list). Crumble the feta cheese. Chop the green onions. Drain the can of whole black olives (slice them if you prefer smaller pieces). If using pepperoni, cut the slices into thin strips.
3. Make the Red Wine Vinaigrette:
- In a very large serving bowl (the one you’ll mix the entire salad in), add all the ingredients for the vinaigrette: ½ cup olive oil, ½ cup red wine vinegar, 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder, 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil, 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano, ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper, and ¾ teaspoon white sugar.
- Whisk these ingredients together thoroughly until the sugar is dissolved and the dressing is well combined and slightly emulsified.
4. Combine Salad Ingredients:
- To the large bowl containing the vinaigrette, add the 2 ½ cups of cooked (and slightly cooled) elbow macaroni.
- Add the sliced fresh mushrooms, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced red bell peppers, crumbled feta cheese, chopped green onions, drained black olives, and the optional pepperoni strips.
- Toss all the ingredients together gently but thoroughly until everything is evenly coated with the vinaigrette.
5. Chill (Recommended):
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
- Chill the Greek Pasta Salad in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight. This allows the flavors to meld beautifully and the pasta to absorb some of the dressing.
6. Serve:
- Before serving, give the salad another gentle toss. Taste and adjust seasoning with a little more salt or pepper if desired.
- Serve chilled or at cool room temperature. Enjoy!
Find it online: https://www.eatswithsoul.com/great-greek-pasta-salad/