Description
Greek summer meets pasta perfection in this Horiatiki Pasta Salad, blending classic Mediterranean flavors with al dente noodles. Crisp vegetables, tangy feta, and zesty herbs create a refreshing dish you’ll crave at every gathering.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 8 ounces (226 grams) short pasta (penne or farfalle)
- 3/4 cup (170 grams) crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup (75 grams) Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
Vegetables:
- 1 English cucumber
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 1 medium bell pepper (green, red, or yellow), diced
- 1/2 small red onion, diced
Herbs:
- 1/4 cup (15 grams) chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup (15 grams) chopped dill (or substitute with mint)
Instructions
- Cook pasta in generously salted boiling water for 8-10 minutes until perfectly al dente, ensuring a tender yet firm texture.
- Drain pasta immediately and rinse with cold water to halt cooking process, preventing overcooking and clumping.
- Drizzle olive oil over cooled pasta, gently tossing to create a light, non-sticky coating in a spacious mixing bowl.
- Prepare cucumber by quartering lengthwise, carefully removing seeds, then chopping into delicate, bite-sized segments.
- Precision-cut bell pepper into uniform, small cubes, maintaining consistent size for even distribution.
- Transform tomatoes by halving, extracting seeds and pulpy center, then dicing into neat, compact cubes.
- Finely mince red onion and slice Kalamata olives in half, creating textural variety in the salad.
- Assemble salad components by combining pasta, prepared vegetables, crumbled feta cheese in a large mixing bowl.
- Craft dressing by vigorously whisking olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, and dried herbs.
- Season dressing with salt and freshly ground black pepper, tasting and adjusting flavors for perfect balance.
- Immediately before serving, scatter freshly chopped parsley and dill throughout the salad.
- Drench salad with prepared dressing, thoroughly tossing to ensure every ingredient is elegantly coated.
Notes
- Choose short pasta shapes like rotini or penne that capture dressing and hold vegetables perfectly for maximum flavor distribution.
- Refrigerate the salad for 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld and develop a more intense Mediterranean taste profile.
- Add grilled chicken, chickpeas, or tofu for a protein boost, making the salad a complete and satisfying meal for different dietary needs.
- Swap parsley and dill with fresh mint or basil to create unique flavor variations that complement the Mediterranean ingredients.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Greek
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 295 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 410 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 11 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg