Originally published on August 31, 2016
I have no explanation as to why it took me so long to get this recipe up on the site. One of my very good friends, Jen, gave it to me when my babies were still babies, and she actually gave me the recipe after giving me a massively sized bowl of it – apparently no one in her house ate it at the time. And ya know what? No one in my house eats Jen’s Greek Pasta Salad either, and that’s just fine with me, because it means I can eat it straight out of the bowl.
Ingredients:
For the salad:
1/2 bag dried fusilli, macaroni, penne, or other short pasta
1 green pepper, chopped in large dice
1 red onion, sliced
1 cup cucumber, chopped in large dice
1 tomato, chopped in large dice
1/2 cup canned black olive, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup Feta cheese
Salt
For the Greek salad dressing:
2 fresh garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup quality extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1.) Place a large pot of heavily salted water over high heat and bring to a rapid boil. Add dried pasta, stir, and cook for about 7 minutes until pasta is al dente. Drain, and rinse with boiling water to stop the cooking process and cool down the pasta.
2.) While pasta is cooking, prepare the dressing. Mince the two garlic cloves on a cutting board and sprinkle with the salt. Slide the blade of the knife back and forth over the garlic, mashing it and turning it into a paste.
3.) Place the olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, sugar, red wine vinegar, oregano, basil, garlic, and black pepper into a blender. Blend until all ingredients are incorporated. Taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary.
4.) Place the pasta and other salad ingredients into a large bowl. Pour as much dressing as you’d like onto the salad and toss to combine well.
5.) Place the salad into the fridge for one hour to meld flavours and chill all ingredients. Toss again just before serving.
6.) Serve and enjoy!