Greek Pasta Salad

Spring is here! That means lots of BBQs to go to! I love to host a good BBQ and I am always looking for new recipes to make for our friends. I didn’t want to make a typical pasta or potato salad so I wanted to lighten it up with the ingredients you find in a Greek Salad. I loved the flavors of this salad and I think that everyone will enjoy it on a  warm spring day!

Greek Pasta Salad:

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces dry pasta (I used bow tie pasta)
• 1 English cucumber, diced (these have less seeds)
• ½  pint cherry  tomatoes, halved
• 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
• half of a medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• lemon-herb dressing (see below)

Dressing Ingredients:

• ¼  cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 small garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tablespoon basil
• 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• ½  Tablespoon dried oregano
• ½  Tablespoon honey
• ¼  teaspoon black pepper
• ½  teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Cook the pasta al dente in a large stockpot according to package instructions.  Drain pasta, then rinse under cold water for about 20-30 seconds until no longer hot.  Transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl.

Mix the pasta, cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese, red onion, and salt and pepper into the mixing bowl, then add all of the dressing on top.  Toss until all of the ingredients are evenly coated with the dressing.

Serve immediately, and add extra feta cheese if desired.