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    Home » Recipes » Salads

    Mediterranean Pasta Salad

    Published: Feb 22, 2021 by Ayeh 2 Comments

    Pasta salads are great to have on a picnic, BBQ lunch, or as a side dish for any main meal. My Mediterranean Pasta Salad is a healthier version without using any mayonnaise or nasty’s but not missing on any flavour!

    Without any cooking at all besides cooking the pasta, it can be made in 15 minutes. All you need to do is dice the beautiful ingredients, combine it all together with your dressing and give it a good toss together and you’re done!

    You can also add your favourite protein of choice to make it more of a main meal like beans, chickpeas, or even grilled chicken. This is a light recipe which will taste amazing with anything. It's also a great salad to make in advance and keeps for days, so can be made to take to work or pack for kids school lunches.

    Jump to:
    • Video Tutorial
    • Ingredients to Make Mediterranean Pasta Salad
    • Important Tips
    • More Salad Recipes
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Video Tutorial

    @cookingwithayeh

    Reply to @magical_multi0 Xmas Pasta Salad! What should I make next?? #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #foodtiktok #pastatiktok #pasta #pastasunday #christmas

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    Ingredients to Make Mediterranean Pasta Salad

    • Pasta, I've used Fusilli but any other short pasta will do the trick
    • Cherry tomatoes, for this salad I prefer the tomatoes to be a little ripe as they are juicier and sweeter
    • Kalamata olives bring a punch of saltiness to this salad
    • Red onion for its sweetness but you could use shallots as a substitute
    • Parsley brings this salad together. I use 2 decent bunches chopped finely that is used to coat the pasta in it's dressing before all the other ingredients are added in
    • Feta cheese is just perfect for salads and this is no exception. I like to crumble over just before serving.

    Important Tips

    • Don’t overcook the pasta as it will become soft and mushy. You want it to keep some texture
    • It’s best to toss the cooked pasta into the dressing while it’s still hot so it absorbs all the flavours and dressing.
    • Then let the pasta cool down for 5-10 minutes before adding the remaining ingredients
    • I always add the feta cheese after all other ingredients have been mixed in together so its at the top before serving. That way it doesn’t all get lost and too crumbly and stuck at the bottom of the bowl

    More Salad Recipes

    • Chickpea Avocado Salad
    • Rocket Pear and Parmesan Salad
    • Shirazi Salad
    • Strawberry Spring Salad

    I love seeing your creations and remakes, so be sure to tag @cookingwithayeh and share a photo on Instagram so I can share the love.

    Recipe

    Mediterranean Pasta Salad served in a bowl
    4.6 from 5 votes

    Mediterranean Pasta Salad

    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Course: Salad
    Servings: 8
    Author: Ayeh
    Pin Print Rate

    Ingredients

    • 500 g short pasta (I’ve used Fusilli)
    • 500 g cherry tomatoes
    • 180 g kalamata pitted olives
    • 1 red onion
    • 2 bunches parsley leaves chopped finely
    • 50 g feta cheese

    Dressing

    • 1 lemon squeezed
    • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Dice onion into small cubes
    • Slice cherry tomatoes along with kalamata olives into halves.
    • Boil pasta to al dente in heavily salted water (refer to instructions on packet for the timing). Note don't overcook the pasta as it will become mushy.
    • While the pasta is cooking, pour dressing ingredients into a large bowl and whisk until combined. Reemember not to add too much salt as the olives and feta are quite salty.
    • Add half of the chopped parsley to the dressing
    • Once pasta is cooked, strain and add straight to the big bowl with the dressing while its still hot. Mix well so the dressing coats all the pasta.
    • Let stand for 5-10 minutes until it has cooled, then add all ingredients except for the feta. Mix until all well combined.
    • Crumble over the feta upon serving alongside your favourite protein or enjoy on it’s own.  This salad also works great as a side dish for a barbeque or picnic salad
    « Persian Rice with Tahdig
    Chickpea Avocado Salad »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Emily Trandafilu

      May 04, 2021 at 10:06 pm

      5 stars
      The most delicious and easy meal ever! So fresh and the lemon dressing was the most perfect touch! I also added chili flakes to garnish for some spice! Thank you Ayeh!

      Reply
      • Ayeh

        May 06, 2021 at 12:29 pm

        Oh yummy! One of my fav pasta salads 🙂

        Reply

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    Hey everyone! Cooking and creating recipes is my ‘happy place’. I love sharing easy everyday recipes with a healthy twist that anyone can make at home. I want to show that eating healthy can also mean you are eating delicious food with amazing flavours

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