Mediterranean Pasta Salad Olives (Print Version)

Fresh Mediterranean pasta with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and feta dressed in olive oil and herbs.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 10 oz short pasta (penne, fusilli, or farfalle)

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
03 - 1 medium cucumber, diced
04 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
05 - 1 red bell pepper, diced

→ Olives & Cheese

06 - 3.5 oz Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
07 - 3.5 oz feta cheese, crumbled

→ Herbs & Dressing

08 - 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
09 - 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
10 - 1 clove garlic, minced
11 - 1 tsp dried oregano
12 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
13 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

# Directions:

01 - Boil short pasta in salted water until al dente according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool.
02 - In a large bowl, mix cooked pasta with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, red bell pepper, Kalamata olives, and crumbled feta cheese.
03 - Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, dried oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
04 - Pour dressing over salad and toss gently to combine all ingredients evenly.
05 - Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the salad and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
06 - Serve immediately or refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes even better the next day, so make it ahead and thank yourself later.
  • No cooking skills required—just boiling water and chopping, which means less stress and more time enjoying people.
  • The feta and olives do all the heavy lifting, turning simple pasta into something that feels Mediterranean without needing any fancy technique.
02 -
  • Don't dress the salad hours in advance unless you like it soggy—the vinegar softens everything, which sounds bad but actually isn't if you wait until closer to eating time.
  • Taste the feta and olives before you add extra salt, because they're already doing the salty work and you can always add more but you can't take it back.
03 -
  • Whisk the vinegar and garlic together first and let them sit for a minute—it takes the harsh edge off raw garlic and makes the dressing taste more balanced.
  • Use a vegetable peeler to shave thin strips of red onion instead of slicing it, and it'll be less aggressive and more delicate in the salad.

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