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Last year, my family went to Greece...without me! Just because I had a “job” *eye roll*. The nerve of some people!
While they were there, they sent me pictures of incredible scenery, historical sights, and most importantly: the food. I couldn’t completely miss out on all that glorious Mediterranean feasting, so I decided to make my own at home.
Although probably not as authentic of an experience as sipping red wine while gazing out at the Parthenon, these Greek Pasta Salads are a great cold lunch option to bring to work or school. They’re packed with vitamins and minerals from the vegetables and protein from using Banza Chickpea Pasta. If you don’t have chickpea pasta, free to use any kind of pasta you like here. You can also add chickpeas or grilled chicken to make the dish more filling. The whole thing is topped off with a homemade Greek salad dressing that can be thrown together in 5 minutes.
This salad would also make a great appetizer or side dish to bring to a picnic or summer bbq. Just keep the dressing separate until you’re about to serve it so the vegetables don’t get soggy.
Forget trying to catch a glimpse of Delphi over the hordes of tourists and enjoy a little bit of Greece at home.
If you make this recipe or any others on my blog, tag me in a photo on Instagram @figisisters . I would love to see your recreation!
Recipe:
Makes about 3 servings
Ingredients:
Greek Pasta Salad:
112 g - Chickpea Pasta*
1 - Red Bell Pepper - Diced
100 g - Cucumbers - Diced
175 g - Grape Tomatoes
45 g - Kalamata Olives - Halved
65 g - Feta Cheese - Crumbled
3 - Garlic Cloves
1 tsp - Dried Parsley
½ tbsp - Salt - Plus more to taste
½ tbsp - Ground Black Pepper - Plus more to taste
Romaine Lettuce - Chopped
Dressing:
20 ml - Olive Oil
15 ml - Red Wine Vinegar
30 g - Dijon Mustard
1 tsp - Salt
1 tsp - Ground Black Pepper
¼ tsp - Garlic Powder
½ tsp - Dried Oregano
Juice of Half a Lemon
Instructions:
Cook pasta according to the package. Drain and rinse to stop the cooking process.
Optional step*: In a pan, using a nonstick method of choice, sauté garlic until fragrant. Allow to cool.
Mix garlic into pasta.
Mix together dressing ingredients. Set aside.
In a bowl or in portioned Tupperware containers, add a bed of romaine. Add cooked pasta, red bell pepper, cucumber, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, and feta cheese. Sprinkle over parsley, salt, and ground black pepper.
When ready to serve, pour over dressing*, toss salad, and enjoy.
*Notes:
- You can sub the chickpea pasta for regular pasta if you’d like. The chickpea pasta just adds some extra protein and fiber to the dish. Make sure the pasta you use is gluten-free if needed.
- You can skip roasting the garlic if you like, but it takes away some of the "bite" of the garlic if you are sensitive to it.
- To keep the salad ingredients from getting soggy, keep the dressing separate until ready to serve.
Want to make those Cinnamon Roll Muffins in the meal prep picture above? Find it here!
