Greek Pasta Salad Recipe

Pasta salad is welcome at every table and Greek salads are a flavorful alternative to the common salad, so when you combine the two into a Greek pasta salad recipe, you know you’re in for a real treat.

Olive Your Salads Should Taste this Good

There are several different kinds of olives available, but the one that will lend a distinctly Greek flavor to your salad is the Kalamata olive. Kalamata olives are grown in the Greek city of Kalamata, which is in the Peloponnese region of Greece.

Kalamata olives have a flavor strong enough to pair with the feta cheese that will be mixed into the salad. A typical Greek pasta salad recipe will include feta cheese as well as marinated artichoke hearts. An olive with a milder flavor will get bullied by these formidably flavored ingredients.

Orzo I Have Heard

Most Greek pasta salad recipes will tell you to use rotini or fusilli pasta, which are fun to use in pasta salads. But, I have found that orzo works best with a Greek pasta salad. Orzo pasta acts with the dressing to bind all the ingredients together. Orzo looks a bit like rice, which will give your Greek salad an exotic look.

Marinated Artichoke hearts

Marinated artichoke hearts give your Greek salad an authentic Mediterranean flavor and are easy to make.

Ingredients

• 1 14-ounce can of artichoke hearts
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1 cup of white wine vinegar
• 1 cup of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of pepper

Instructions

1. Cut the artichoke hearts into quarters.
2. Mix the garlic, oregano, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
3. Add the artichoke hearts.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Feta Cheese

Feta cheese is a Greek cheese made from goat or sheep milk that can be used in everything from appetizers to desserts. Appetizers like spinach and tomato parcels, entrees like tunnel-boned chicken, and desserts like spanakopita all use feta cheese. Greek salad just isn’t real Greek salad unless there is a good amount of feta cheese.

Greek Pasta Salad Recipe

Greek pasta salad can add fabulous flavor to any meal and add an exotic flair to the same old dinner. Try this salad with your favorite lamb recipes or serve it with falafel for a fun vegetarian feast.

Ingredients

1. 1 1-pound package of orzo
2. 1 package or feta cheese, about a pound
3. 2 cups of Kalamata olives
4. 1 cup of cooked garbonzo beans
5. 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
6. 1 small red onion, diced
7. 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced
8. 1 small red pepper, seeded and diced
9. 2 large tomatoes, diced
10. 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
11. ¼ cup of fresh dill, chopped
12. Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the orzo according to the package instructions.
2. Once the orzo is al dente, rinse it cold water and place it in a bowl.
3. Roughly chop the Kalamata olives. Remove any pits.
4. Cut the feta cheese into ½-inch sized cubes.
5. Mix the orzo, feta cheese, olives, garbonzo beans, cucumber, onion, peppers, and diced tomatoes together in the bowl.
6. Set in your refrigerator while you mix the dressing.
7. Toss the salad with the dressing and return to the refrigerator for an hour to chill.
8. Garnish with the cherry tomatoes.
9. You can add green onions or diced celery if you so desire.

Dressing

Ingredients

• ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup of red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of dried oregano
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Mix together the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano.
2. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking the mixture.
3. Taste for salt and pepper.
4. Mix the dressing with the prepared Greek salad.
5. Taste again for salt and pepper.

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