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Monday, August 7, 2023

Mediterranean Pasta Salad



Oh mercy me, but today will be our 30th day of temperatures over 100 degrees! There is no end in sight for these 100 degree days to end. This calls for meals that are refreshing, and I updated my favorite pasta salad.

I found a Greek Salad dressing that had rave reviews, but makes a gallon of dressing!!  I scaled it way down, and the nice thing about this, besides tasting great, is that it doesn't have to be refrigerated if you use it within a day or two.  For longer storage, store in the fridge.

 


Yield: a crowd
Author: Kitty, but dressing is adapted from Allrecipes
Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

I updated a favorite pasta salad, and added this homemade Greek dressing. You can just use an Italian dressing if you prefer.

Ingredients

  • For the Pasta Salad:
  • 1-12 ounce box of bowtie pasta
  • 1 cucumber, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, cut up
  • 2-3 green onion, sliced
  • Kalamata olives, sliced
  • Cooked Chicken breast, cut up
  • Salami, cut up
  • Marinated artichokes, cut up
  • Feta Cheese to your liking
  • Colby cheese, cut up
  • For the Greek Dressing:
  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons pepper
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 cup red wine vinegar

Instructions

  1. Cook the pasta according to package directions, and drain and set aside to let cool for a bit.
  2. Add all the ingredients to the pasta, and mix. Add enough dressing to make the pasta moist. Refrigerate until serving time. You may need to add some more dressing, as the pasta really soaks it up.
  3. For the Greek Dressing:
  4. Put the olive oil in a bowl or canning jar. Add all the ingredients, except for the red wine vinegar, and mix well.
  5. Slowly add the red wine vinegar to the bowl or jar, and mix well. This dressing does not need to be refrigerated if used within a day or two.  For longer storage, store in the fridge. 

Notes

You may like to add other ingredients to the pasta salad, such as cherry tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, other cheeses, etc.

You can leave out the chicken and salami, if you wish. I just wanted a main dish.

 

Thank you for your visit!  xo






15 comments:

  1. This sounds wonderful!
    hugs
    Donna

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  2. The dressing sounds great Kitty, thanks for scaling it down a bit:@)

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  3. That sounds delicious! I hope you manage to keep cool.

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  4. It sounds refreshing Kitty! I love this type of meal in the summer.

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  5. That is almost exactly the dressing recipe I use on my Greek orzo salad. I can literally eat the entire 2qt bowl by myself, it's that good!

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  6. Your dressing sounds delicious as does your pasta salad Kitty! Such a nice and light meal for summer, no oven required. I don't know how you can handle triple digit temperatures, especially for such an extended period of time. We are steamy here in the 90s with dew point of 74...you walk outside and are instantly wet. Hope you can stay indoors with the AC cranked up! :) ♥

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  7. The pasta salad looks great, Kitty. Hope you have lots of iced tea to keep you hydrated and cool in the relentless heat!

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  8. I have a sweater on today, Kitty, this country of ours is so big and the weather is so different from one part to another. Crazy! The salad looks good though in hot or cold temps! Thanks for sharing!

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  9. Oh Kitty, I do hope that the weather will cool with that hot weather. You salad looks and sounds delicious. Thank you for the recipe. I hope you have a nice week Kitty.

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  10. Kitty, your Mediterranean Pasta Salad looks and sounds absolutely delicious. I think it makes a great meal for these hot steamy August days. I love this dressing! Great recipe.....

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  11. Sounds like a perfect summer dinner, and the dressing sounds great too! I have been worrying about all my Texas friends, wow 30 days in a row over 100, that’s brutal! I heard on the news that this is the hottest summer on record~ it’s been very hot here too. Have a great week Kitty and keep cool!
    Jenna

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  12. Kitty, this sound refreshing and tasty! It's so hot, I find I don't want to eat much.

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  13. Love a good salad and this one checks all the boxes for me. Pinned it.
    I visited you via Encouraging Hearts & Home
    I linked up this week with = 47+48 and this is a friendly reminder to come and join us at SeniorSalonPitStop. You will find the linkup information under BLOGGING.

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  14. Oh, my! This sounds amazing! And wow! Your weather sounds so miserable. It is quite hot here, but nothing like what you are having to endure. I know you will be glad when fall arrives! God bless you, sweet friend.

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