Greek Pasta Salad with Creamy Feta Vinaigrette

Say hello to a Greek-style pasta salad that's packed with vegetables and rich with creamy feta that a certain someone (no naming names, now) just might have consumed five meals in a row, including breakfast and a bedtime snack. It's that good. (But I'm still not givin' up who, no way, I'm just not.) There's no mayonnaise in my Greek Pasta Salad, instead, the dressing is a tangy-creamy vinaigrette with feta cheese. Great a great "dish to carry" choice for potlucks and picnics, funerals and family gatherings and is a definite addition to Favorite Summer Salads.

Great for Potlucks & Meal Prep. Fresh & Seasonal. Great Crunch.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

COMPLIMENTS!

• "I just made this salad for a school pot luck this weekend. It was a big hit." ~ Anonymous
• "Fixed this for a party last night. Delish!" ~ Carolyn
• Add yours, leave a comment, below!

BEST RECIPES!

• Greek Pasta Salad Made the List!
• Best Recipes of 2011

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A Story of Culinary Immigration.

Say hello to what just might be the summer’s salad obsession, a vegetable-packed pasta salad dressed in a feta-tangy creamy vinaigrette.

The recipe comes from dear family friend Elizabeth, a Scotswoman who emigrated to Canada many years ago who’s been "adopted" by my Canadian family. Elizabeth made her pasta salad for a post-wedding brunch in Toronto last month and after my second, no third, helping, I just knew I (and Kitchen Parade readers!) needed the recipe post-haste. (Who else takes pictures of recipes on phones to e-mail to themselves?)

Then I made a double batch for July 4th gatherings back in the States where there were lots of accolades and second helpings, especially from those who say, “I don’t usually like pasta salad.” (Who else eats leftover pasta salad for breakfast?)

So let me summarize. You've happened onto a Greek salad shared by a Scotswoman living in Canada. I brought it home with me to the States and now share it with the world. How cool is that?!

My New Go-To "Dish to Carry".

For the rest of the summer, this is going to be my “dish to carry”.

The star of the salad is the Creamy Feta Vinaigrette, a simple, just-whisk-it-all-together mix of sharp red wine vinegar and tangy feta. You'll want to buy feta in a brick, it's moister and just, well, better.

Keep Some of the Ingredients Aside

When you make Greek Pasta Salad ahead of time, you might want to do the final stir-together right before leaving or even, especially if you've prepped the salad the day before, just before serving. Me, I wrap the sliced tomatoes, chopped cilantro and sliced olives separately. That way, all that's needed at the very last minute is a quick-quick stir.

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GREEK PASTA SALAD with CREAMY FETA VINAIGRETTE

Hands-on time: 45 minutes
Time to table: 3 hours
Makes 14 cups (but easily halved), a huge batch that fits most handily into a gallon-size ice cream bucket

PASTA
• 1 pound (about 4 cups) mini pasta shells
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 4 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
• ½ cup Kalamata olives, chopped

CREAMY FETA VINAIGRETTE
• 6 tablespoons (85g) red wine vinegar
• 2 - 4 teaspoons (see TIPS) minced fresh garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 ounces (112g) feta
• ¼ cup (45g) olive oil

BEFORE SERVING
• 8 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered (see TIPS)
• 1 large cucumber (see TIPS), chopped
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro or Italian parsley

PASTA Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain well. While still warm, transfer to a large bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Stir in the peppers and olives.

CREAMY FETA VINAIGRETTE In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients except the 1/4 cup olive oil. With the back of a fork, smash the feta until it "creams" the vinaigrette, leaving small bits of feta intact. Whisk in the olive oil. Stir the vinaigrette into the pasta. Refrigerate for 1 – 2 hours until cold.

BEFORE SERVING Stir in the tomatoes, cucumber and cilantro. Serve cold.

LEFTOVERS The salad keeps several days (see TIPS).

ALANNA’s TIPS More or less garlic? It’s up to you but I love the garlicky undertones with more. Cherry and grape tomatoes hold together better when the salad is intended to last several days. But when summer tomatoes are their peak, I’d be tempted to add diced regular tomatoes to just whatever’s being served right then. English cucumbers are more expensive but their tender skins and fleshy centers makes for less waste. Garden cucumbers are less expensive but I usually use a vegetable peeler to "stripe" their tougher skins and a grapefruit spoon to scoop out the seeds. This salad is a great contribution to potlucks and outdoor events. I chop the tomatoes, cucumbers and cilantro at home and put into separate freezer bags on top of the salad, then stir it all together after arriving. The olives begin to stain the pasta just a bit beginning Day Two so if making ahead of time, I would hold the olives to add just before serving.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per 108: Calories; 5g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 3mg Cholesterol; 123mg Sodium; 14g Carb; 1g Fiber; 1g Sugar; 3g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 2 & PointsPlus 3 & SmartPoints 3 & Freestyle 3 This recipe has been "Alanna-sized" with reductions in fat and increases in crunch and nutrition from extra vegetables. The biggest change was reducing the oil from 12 tablespoons to five, none of it missed in the least.

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Seasonal Cooking: Late June & Early July Across the Years

Parmesan Chicken Chicken Veggie Quesadillas Italian Sausage with Grapes & Greens Mom's Blueberry Coffeecake (<< for the weekend, maybe?) Baked Bacon Two-Bite Brownies Smoked Salmon Salad with Quick-Pickled Cucumbers & Roasted Peppers Deviled Eggs with Tomato-Herb Relish Greek Pasta Salad (<< great for potlucks) Bloody Caesar (Canada's Bloody Mary) St. Louis Pork Steaks

This Week, Elsewhere

~ Bruschetta alla Thomas ~
from T. Arcobasso's in St. Charles
~ more St. Louis Restaurant Recipes ~
My Weekly Column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

~ Mom's Potato Salad ~
~ more Recent Recipes ~
A Veggie Venture

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More Irresistible Summer Salad Recipes

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more favorite summer salad recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ Mom's Potato Salad ~
~ Summer Black-Eyed Pea Salad ~
~ Tomato Platter with Olives & Feta ~
~ Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for July ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ pasta recipes ~
~ bell pepper recipes ~
~ olive recipes ~
~ tomato recipes ~
~ cucumber recipes ~
~ feta recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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