Juicy tomatoes and cucumbers, black and green olives, crumbled feta, and tender pasta are tossed in a homemade balsamic vinaigrette! An EASY pasta salad recipe with Mediterranean-inspired ingredients that's ready in under 30 minutes!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time25 minutesmins
Course: Pasta
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: feta pasta salad, Mediterranean pasta salad, Mediterranean pasta salad recipe, pasta salad with feta
Servings: 8
Calories: 293kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
Pasta Salad
1poundfusili pastaor other short pasta such as rotini, penne, ziti, or wheels
1English cucumberdiced into small chunks
1pintcherry or grape tomatoeshalved if desired (or regular or Roma tomatoes, diced into small chunks)
½of a large red onionsliced vertically into thin strips
⅔cupblack Kalamata olivespitted (from a 3.8-ounce can sliced olives, drained)
½cupgreen olivespitted and halved
½cupcrumbled Feta cheeseor more if desired (I used fat free crumbles)
Vinaigrette
⅓cupolive oilplus more for final drizzling if desired
2 to 3tablespoonred wine vinegar or balsamic vinegarbalsamic is stronger and will give more bite
2 to 3tablespoonslemon juice
2tablespoonshoneyor to taste
1rounded tablespoon prepared Dijon mustardsuch as Grey Poupon
1teaspoondried oregano
1teaspoonkosher saltplus more to taste
¾teaspoonfreshly ground black pepperor to taste
Fresh basil and/or mintfor garnishing as desired (or add about 1/4 cup finely chopped basil or mint for more intense flavor)
Instructions
Pasta Salad - Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Tips - Make sure to salt the pasta water. I also add a drizzle of olive oil into the water which helps prevent pasta from sticking. Drain after pasta is done.
While pasta is boiling, chop or slice the cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and olives if necessary.
Transfer cooked pasta into a very large bowl, and top with the diced vegetables, olives, and evenly sprinkle the feta; set aside momentarily.
Vinaigrette - Whisk together all the ingredients, taste, and check for balance. Tip - It will and should taste very strong, it needs to flavor about 2 pounds worth of food. However, make sure you like the overall flavor.
Evenly drizzle the vinaigrette over the pasta and vegetables, and toss very well to coat.
Taste the pasta and if desired, add more salt. Tip - I added another teaspoon or so because the 1 teaspoon of salt in the vinaigrette just isn't enough for my preferences to properly flavor such a big bowl of food.
Optionally, drizzle with additional olive oil, as desired and toss to combine.
Garnish with the fresh basil and/or mint, as desired.
Serve the pasta salad immediately or if desired, you can chill it before serving. Extra pasta salad will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 4 months. Tips - I like to zap my leftovers for 30 seconds in the microwave to take the chill off but it's optional. If the fridge has dried out your pasta salad, squirting a bit of store bought Italian dressing or similar helps. Additional olive oil also helps but doesn't add much "flavor".