Fresh and Delicious Pasta Salad with Feta and Veggies Recipe
A refreshing and colorful Pasta Salad featuring rotini pasta, crisp cucumbers, juicy grape tomatoes, crunchy bell peppers, and tangy feta cheese, all tossed in a zesty Italian dressing. Perfect for potlucks, picnics, or a light summer meal, this salad is easy to prepare and can be made ahead to allow the flavors to meld beautifully.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 16 ounces rotini pasta (or any medium pasta shape)
Vegetables
- 1 medium English cucumber, chopped
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 small bell pepper (any color), chopped
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion (or sliced green onions)
- ¼ cup sliced black olives (optional)
Dressing and Herbs
- 1 cup Italian dressing (store-bought or homemade)
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Cheese and Seasoning
- ⅔ cup crumbled feta cheese (or to taste)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil and cook the rotini pasta until al dente, following the package directions. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water to cool it down and stop the cooking process.
- Prepare the vegetables: While the pasta is cooking, chop the cucumber, halve the grape tomatoes, chop the bell pepper, and finely dice the red onion (or slice green onions if preferred).
- Combine ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add the cooled pasta, chopped vegetables, Italian dressing, sliced black olives if using, and fresh parsley. Toss all ingredients well to ensure everything is evenly coated with the dressing.
- Season and add cheese: Season the salad with salt and black pepper according to your taste. Gently fold in the crumbled feta cheese to preserve its texture and distribute the flavors.
- Chill and serve: Cover the bowl and refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 2 hours. This chilling time allows the flavors to meld together and the pasta to absorb the dressing for maximum taste.
Notes
- For a homemade Italian dressing, mix olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, salt, black pepper, and a pinch of sugar.
- Feel free to add other vegetables like chopped celery, shredded carrots, or artichoke hearts for variety.
- This pasta salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To make it vegetarian, ensure the Italian dressing does not contain anchovies or animal products.
Keywords: pasta salad, rotini pasta recipe, summer salad, Italian dressing salad, feta cheese salad, easy pasta recipe, picnic salad
