Greek Pasta Salad
This delicious cold pasta salad recipe is full of flavor from bell pepper, cucumber, lemon, and dill! Top this cold pasta salad with a creamy Greek yogurt dressing.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time25 minutes mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10
Calories: 277kcal
- 1 pound fusilli pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise see note
- Juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large cucumber diced
- 1 large red bell pepper diced
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Boil the pasta according to package directions. Drain it well, toss it with the olive oil, and spread it in an even layer on a baking sheet. Chill the pasta in the refrigerator for at least 20-30 minutes.
Mix the yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill, parsley, chives and salt in a medium bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator to all the flavors to develop.
When ready to serve, mix the pasta, dressing, cucumber, bell pepper, and feta cheese together in a large bowl. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.
- If the salad will be held at room temperature or outside for a long time substitute the mayonnaise with the same amount of Greek yogurt.
- Bringing this to a summer party? Create and ice bath to keep it cold and safe. Simply put water and ice in a large bowl and then set the bowl of salad on top of it.
Variations
- Add more vegetables! Mix in chopped red onions, kalamata olives and tomatoes.
- Make sure you salt the pasta water because the salad is eaten cold, the flavors tend to get muted. This will help bring out flavors.
- When cooking the pasta cook a little past al dente, but don't let it get mushy. You are serving this cold and pasta hardens as it cools, by cooking it a little longer it will stay moist.
- Grill up some chicken, add it to this pasta salad and make it a meal. Great for make ahead lunches during the summer!
- If you prefer mayonnaise, simply substitute the Greek yogurt for mayonnaise
Expert Tips!
- After boiling the pasta, drain it well, drizzle it with olive oil and spread it out on a sheet pan.
- Stick it in the refrigerator to chill.
- This keeps the dressing from breaking down once you mix it with the pasta.
- Mixing dressing with cold pasta keeps everything creamy instead of runny. Runny is not good.
Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 446mg | Potassium: 204mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 505IU | Vitamin C: 16.8mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 0.8mg