A Mediterranean pasta salad makes a light side dish and feeds an army. Packed with cucumbers, tomatoes, feta, and capers, and tossed with a sun-dried vinaigrette, it is easy to make and carries the fresh flavors of the Mediterranean.
Pasta salad is one of the versatile recipes that can include all kinds of fresh ingredients. My Mediterranean pasta salad is a light and fresh salad that captures some of my favorite Mediterranean flavor combinations. It can go from a simple vegetarian side dish to a whole meal with the addition of some chicken, shrimp, or steak. The addition of the red pepper flakes gives a nice little kick, but it is completely optional. You cannot go wrong with this healthy and fresh side dish.
Table of Contents
What makes this pasta salad stand out?
Firstly, the dressing is different than what you would normally make with a pasta salad. Many come with dressings like an Italian salad dressing or a mayonnaise-based dressing. This takes the pasta salad in a completely different direction.
Tomatoes: both sun-dried and fresh tomatoes are added to the dish giving a nice depth of flavor.
Feta cheese: adds some saltiness and creaminess as well as help balance the heat from the red pepper flakes, if you are using them.
Cucumbers: add a crispy element to the salad
Fresh herbs: while I only add parsley, I have added all kinds of herbs to this salad. Feel free to add some chives, dill, tarragon, basil, thyme or anything else you personally enjoy.
Mediterranean pasta salad in less than 30 minutes
One of my favorite parts about this salad is it takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish. That includes the time to get the water boiling. The easiest way I have found to get this done in less than 30 minutes is to start with getting the water on the heat to start boiling. Once the pot is over the heat, make the dressing. This will take less than 3 minutes as the food processor will make short work of pulverizing everything.
Until the water is ready for the pasta it is time to get to chopping! This is going to take the largest amount of your time; however, this is idle time since that pot of water is still over there doing nothing but warming up. Once the water is boiling cook your pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water. This will allow you to get started on the mixing. This is the part, just add everything to a large mixing bowl and toss to mix everything and coat the pasta with the vinaigrette. The best part is it tastes even better the next day so feel free to make ahead.
Serve this with…
Here are some of my suggestions for serving with the Mediterranean pasta salad.
Head on Citrus Shrimp – the bright and citrus forward flavors make this a great pairing.
Grilled Pork Loin with Herb Pesto – the charred herb pesto and smokiness of the pork compliments the salad, and both pull in Mediterranean flavors.
Grilled Barbecue Ribs – a classic combination for the summer/grilling months
Roasted Potato Salad – much like the grilled ribs potato salad is a staple side dish when grilling.
Grilled broccolini – the charred broccolini which can be hit with a splash of lemon is a nice side to pair with and fits a grilled/baked protein well.
Sun-Dried Tomato Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Equipment
- Large saucepan or pot
- Large mixing bowl
- Food processor or blender
- Colander
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 pound short pasta fusilli, orecchiette, farfalle
- 2 cups cucumber chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup red onion chopped
- ½ cup kalamata olives pitted, halved
- ½ cup feta crumbled
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- 2 tablespoon capers drained
For the sun-dried tomato vinaigrette:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes drained
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon garlic 3 cloves
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
Making sun-dried tomato vinaigrette
- In a food processor or blender add the olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt and red pepper flakes. Pulse until everything is well blended and the tomatoes are pulverized.⅓ cup olive oil, ¼ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Cooking the pasta
- Fill a large saucepan or pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions.1 pound short pasta
- Once the pasta is ready drain in a colander. Rinse with cold water to immediately halt the cooking process. Allow to drain.
Make the pasta salad
- In a large mixing bowl add the pasta, feta, cucumbers, olives, tomatoes, parsley, capers and the vinaigrette. Gently toss or mix to combine.2 cups cucumber, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 cup red onion, ½ cup kalamata olives, ½ cup feta, ¼ cup parsley, 2 tablespoon capers
Nutrition
Great for summer BBQ