Come spring and summer, we’re big on pasta salad. My dad would make his basic broccoli cheddar pasta salad weekly throughout the summer. But oftentimes he would switch it up and do his version of a Greek pasta salad. To be honest, this usually consisted of whatever he had in the fridge at the time. Which to be fair, does usually make for the very best pasta salads. In general, he always had a handful of fresh Greek ingredients in the fridge at all times. Bell peppers, olives, pepperoncini, cherry tomatoes (in the summer), basil, and dill. As a family, we just love those flavors. That was his greek salad. He’d toss it with olive oil, salt, and pepper and call it a day. Oh, plus cheese (of course), but he’d didn’t use feta much, mainly just cheddar. It’s always been one of my favorite dishes that he would make. So I recreated that salad but added a few touches and a creamy dressing.
Here are the quick details
I always start with the dressing. I did a red wine vinaigrette with a touch of honey and tahini to make it creamy. You could use mayo too, but typically I love usually tahini to keep the salad a little more wholesome. Simply mix everything together and that’s it. Nothing fancy. For the salad, I love to warm a little olive oil and get it just to a sizzling point. Then pour the hot oil over the shallots with some pine nuts and herbs. The heat from the oil cooks the shallots and infuses the herbs into the oil. It’s an extra step but adds a lot of flavor. Then the rest is pretty quick. Boil the pasta and toss it with that creamy dressing, all the Greek olives, and the fresh vegetables and herbs. I top the salad with feta and always enjoy serving this warm. But it’s also great leftover for lunch the following day. This is a nice recipe for prepping ahead of time for parties or even work lunches. The pasta holds up really well in the fridge and would be great to make on a Sunday for the week ahead. It actually takes on even more flavor as the salad sits! If you wanted to make it a little heartier, you could add grilled pesto marinated chicken. That would be delicious! Looking for other great pasta salad recipes? Here are some favorites: Pesto Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Pasta Salad Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad Caprese Chicken Pasta Salad Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken Avocado Orzo Salad with Honey Mustard Bacon Dressing Lastly, if you make this Greek Olive Pasta Salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
