Ina Garten was the inspiration for this salad. She did an episode on making pasta three different ways. This Greek pasta salad caught my eye. I wanted to make it with a couple of changes. What’s really cool about this recipe is, in the time it takes to cook the pasta, you can have all the veggies chopped and the salad dressing made. This is my Greek Pasta Salad With A Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 to 12 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Yields: 6 servings
Equipment: 1 (6-quart) saucepot, colander, large mixing bowl, large serving bowl, mini food processor

Ingredients:
2 hothouse or English cucumbers, diced into 1-inch chunks
1/2 a red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons then quartered
2 pints of grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup of Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
10 ounces of good Greek Feta, diced into 1-inch cubes
1 pound of fusilli pasta, cooked, rinsed until cold, and drained
2 tablespoons of fresh mint leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients For Sun-dried Tomato Dressing:
2 tablespoon of drained capers
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
8 sun-dried tomatoes, drained (packed in oil)
1 tablespoon of Agave nectar
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup of *E.V.O.O.
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 fresh sprig of mint for garnish

Directions For Dressing:
Add the sun drained sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and garlic into a food processor. Pulse until they are finely minced. Next, add in the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Kosher salt, black pepper, and Agave nectar. Pulse the ingredients to combine. Transfer to a small mixing bowl. Slowly drizzle in the *E.V.O.O whisking until the dressing comes together.

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, place all the diced vegetables, dried oregano, finely chopped fresh mint, and finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley. To the vegetables, add in the well-drained, cooked pasta. Pour in half of the sun-dried tomato vinaigrette and stir through. This gives the hot pasta a chance to absorb those flavors. Finely, add in the cubed Feta, freshly chopped herbs, and remaining dressing. Gently toss the diced Feta (so to keeps its integrity) and herbs through until all the ingredients are well combined.

Serve the salad at room temperature or chill in the frig and serve cold. Garnish with a sprig of mint. There you have it, my Greek Pasta Salad With A Sun-dried Tomato Vinaigrette.

*E.V.O.O. is the acronym for Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/