Ingredients
- 1 small red onion
- A pinch of red chili flakes
- 10 oz uncooked pasta see notes
- ½ cup a mix of olives (kalamata olives, green olives) pitted
- 2 small colorful bell peppers or sub with cooked artichokes, hearts of palm, roasted red peppers
- 1 cup cherry/plum/grape tomatoes
- 1 cup chickpeas try these roasted ones
- 8 oz feta or as much as your heart desires
- Dressing
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil a good quality is a must
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons honey liquid
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
- Sea salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
To Serve/Garnish
- Chili flakes To sprinkle on top
- Fresh parsley basil
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, drain it and drizzle with olive oil, place the hot pasta aside to cool.
- Combine dressing ingredients in a bowl or mason jar.
- Once the pasta is chilled, transfer it to a mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients and toss in the salad dressing.
- Serve with more feta cheese and fresh herbs on top!
- For best flavor, chill the salad in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving(without feta cheese, add this right before serving)
Nutrition
Notes
Pro Tips
- Salt the water like you mean it: The pasta itself is half this salad, and unseasoned pasta drags the whole bowl down. The water should taste noticeably salty before the pasta goes in. It's the step home cooks skip and the reason restaurant pasta salads taste seasoned all the way through.
- Hold back a few spoonfuls of dressing: The first time I made this ahead for a party, the pasta drank the dressing overnight and the salad showed up dry. Now I always reserve 2 to 3 tablespoons in the jar and toss it in right before serving. Problem solved forever.
- Cool the pasta, don't rush it: Warm pasta wilts herbs and melts feta on contact. Spread it on a sheet pan if you're in a hurry. It cools in half the time.
- Uniform chopping pays off: When the peppers, olives, and tomatoes are all pasta-sized, every scoop gets a little of everything. Giant pepper planks mean somebody gets a bite of nothing but pepper.
- Buy block feta in brine: Crumble it yourself right over the bowl. The difference in creaminess is not subtle.