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Super Delicious Mediterranean Pasta Salad

jaysndees Pasta salad dish with burger.

A perfect refreshing side dish or simple main meal!

Over the last couple of months, the day and night temperatures have gotten quite warm. Almost too warm to be slaving over a hotplate or BBQ, or anything else that requires significant amounts of heat. A super delicious Mediterranean Pasta Salad recipe was surely on the agenda.

So we blended up quite a superb dish that is sure to ignite your taste buds!
It is vibrant, refreshing, and a little bit tangy, and a perfect pasta salad to make for picnics, a light lunch, BBQ occasions, or as a general side-kick side dish.

Here is Our recipe for jaysndees Super Delicious Mediterranean Pasta Salad.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Salad you will need:

  • 300g Durum Wheat Macaroni Pasta (fusilli, penne, or farfalle work well also)
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 Continental cucumber, diced
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved (optional)
  • 1/2 cup Danish feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup semi sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup roasted/dry fried red capsicum, chopped (optional)

For the Dressing you will need:

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Cook the pasta: Boil the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Stand aside and let it cool.
  • If you are using a fresh red capsicum, now is a great time to prepare it as desired. We dry fry ours, which is simply heating a flat pan to a medium high heat, dropping the chopped capsicum into it when at temperature, and giving it a good sizzling for 5 or so minutes, stirring it around the pan regularly. You will know when it is done by the change in look of the produce, and also by the change in smell as it is sizzling away. When done, remove from heat and set aside to cool down.
  • Prepare the vegetables: While the pasta cools, chop the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, Kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and roasted red peppers. Set aside in seperate containers for the moment.
  • Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl or cup, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper until well combined. Put it aside for a moment.
  • Build your salad: In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta with the chopped veggies, crumbled feta cheese, and fresh basil. Give it a good mixing as you combine them all together.
  • Dress the salad: Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss everything until it is all well coated.
  • Chill and serve: Let the salad chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to meld together. Garnish with extra basil or feta if desired.
jaysndees Pasta salad prepared in a mixing bowl ready to be served.

EXTRA NOTES:

  • Our 4 Jays and also D2 do not like olives. So we leave these out, and if I (D1) feel like adding them, I do so at the end when it gets served up.
  • Fresh sliced chilli adds an interesting dimension to the dish. Be careful not to add too much though, as you do not want to overwhelm all of the other delicious flavours!
  • As we grow garlic, at harvest time we end up with an amount of unformed garlic bulbs. We call them ‘Onyaks’ (pronounced ‘ung-yaks’). These make a great all purpose punchy flavour, especially when sliced very thinly and dry fried. Toss them through the salad before adding the dressing to add another interesting flavour.
  • We use the 97% fat free semi sun-dried tomatoes that we get from the Deli at our local Coles.