Greek Pasta Salad with Homemade Dressing

Easy Greek Pasta Salad

Let’s make a colourful and delicious Greek pasta salad. It has a delightful crunch, and a refreshing taste and though it takes just a few minutes to make, it’s one of those cold salads you could make even a day or two in advance and enjoy or serve it later.

Today’s pasta salad has the perfect combination of fresh vegetables and a tasty dressing. Moreover, I’m going to show you how to make an easy homemade Greek salad dressing where you could substitute some of the Greek ingredients with what you have at home.

You could prepare this easy Greek pasta salad in minutes. The recipe is that simple.

Interested in another tasty pasta or macaroni recipe? Do check out my flavourful Goan chicken stew recipe.

Ingredients

150g pasta / macaroni

1 medium size red onion

1 medium size capsicum

½ large cucumber

150g tomatoes / cherry tomatoes

¼ cup black olives, pitted

3 tbsp chopped dill / coriander leaves

1 green chilli finely chopped

100g paneer / feta cheese

½ tsp ground pepper

½ tsp salt

2 tsp sugar (if needed)

Greek salad dressing

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil / refined oil

1 ½ – 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp lime / lemon juice

½ tsp ground mustard seeds / paste

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp ground pepper

¼ tsp salt

Procedure

1. Add 1 tsp of salt to around 4 – 5 cups of water and boil the pasta in it for around 6 minutes till it’s al dente. Empty it into a colander to drain. Since we’re making a cold pasta salad, it’s necessary to refresh the pasta with cold water so it doesn’t clump together.
2. Chop the onion into quarters and slice it. Chop the capsicum into small square-shaped pieces. Deseed the cucumber and chop it. If you’re using cherry tomatoes, chop each of them into two pieces. If you’re using locally available small size tomatoes, cut each of them into four to eight pieces. Slice the olives width-wise into circles.
3. Wash a few dill fronds in plenty of water. Break off the tough stems and then chop the tender stems and leaves.
4. Chop the paneer slab / feta cheese into cubes. You could also roughly crumble it.
5. Next, prepare the salad dressing. To a bowl, add the extra virgin olive, red wine vinegar, lime juice, ground mustard, ground pepper, salt, crushed garlic, and oregano. Whisk the dressing well.
6. To a large bowl, transfer the pasta, and then the vegetables one by one in any order. Add the chopped green chilli, salt, and pepper. If you’re using regular tomatoes and they’re not too sweet, add the sugar. Add the paneer cubes and then pour the dressing over the salad.
7. Toss the salad so all the ingredients are properly mixed and are well coated with the dressing.
8. Sample the pasta salad and adjust the taste if necessary. Chill the salad in the fridge for at least an hour and then serve it.

Enjoy!