Keep the essence of summer a bit longer with this Mediterranean inspired pasta salad. Long after the schools are back again and we are back to the daily grind, this Mediterranean inspired pasta salad will fill your lunch box with sunshine. It is a variation of my basic summer salad.

An abundance of zucchini

Zucchini or courgette (same vegetable, name is dependent of where you live) are in abundance at the end of summer where I live. Either if you grow your own or you buy them from the store, this is sure to be a recipe you can use.

In bowls ingredients for a Mediterranean pasta salad. Clockwise from top; feta cheese diced, sun dried tomatoes sliced, penne pasta, zucchini sliced, vinaigrette dressing, red onion sliced, and in the middle black olives halved. — Ingredients to make Mediterranean pasta salad.

No waste cooking

Whenever I make a pasta salad, I either use leftover pasta from the freezer or I plan my dinner the night before and make extra portions of pasta. Then when I put the salad together, I do not need to wait for the pasta to cool. If you do not have any pasta ready, cook it according to instructions on the package, depending on which pasta shape you choose. Once it has cooked to al dente, rinse it under cold water, this will cool it down quicker ready to mix with the rest of the ingredients. Make sure to check the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and quantities.

Substitutes

If the vegetables that I have used does not suit your tastes, add any vegetables that you like. Green olives instead of black, fresh tomatoes instead of sun dried tomatoes. The options are endless in a pasta salad.

In bowls ingredients for a Mediterranean pasta salad. Clockwise from top left; sun dried tomatoes, zucchini sliced, black olives and red onions sliced. — Ingredients for Mediterranean salad

Freezer Friendly

Once the salad has been put together, I do not recommend freezing it. However I freeze cooked pasta all the time. Whenever I have leftovers that I know will not be eaten in the next few days, it will go in an airtight container and into the freezer.
Sometimes when I make this and other pasta salads, it is with a variety of pasta shapes, I have in the freezer. Take out the pasta about two hours before you need it and leave on the counter to thaw. Or overnight in the fridge. And it is perfect to put into your pasta salad.

Three bowls with ingredients to make a salad dressing; balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and oregano — Mediterranean salad dressing ingredients

Variations

I have several other variations of pasta salads in my repertoire, perfect for the summer months when I do not really feel like cooking. Try my basic pasta salad or one of my salmon variations, creamy salmon or lemon salmon.
If you prefer couscous to pasta, try my zucchini and couscous salad.

Print Recipe

Mediterranean pasta salad

Keep the essence of summer for a bit longer with this Mediterranean inspired pasta salad. Long after the schools are back and the daily grind sets in, this Mediterranean inspired pasta salad will fill your lunch box with sunshine.

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Total Time45

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Basics

Keyword: feta cheese, pasta, sun dried tomatoes, zucchini

Servings: 6 portions

Ingredients

350 g uncooked pasta
200 g fresh spinach
200 g sun dried tomatoes
100 g black olives
200 g feta cheese
1 zucchini sliced and fried
1 red onion

Vinaigrette dressing

6 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp oregano
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp red balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package, rinse in cold water.
Rinse the fresh spinach in cold water and let sit in a colander to drain until the rest of the ingredients are ready.
Slice the zucchini in thin slices, pour salt over them and let sit, to draw out the water, while you are cutting up the rest of the ingredients.
Cut red onion in half and slice into half moons, bathe in cold water for a few minute for less sharpness while still keeping the flavour.
Slice sun-dried tomatoes and half the olives. Cut the feta cheese into bite size pieces.
Gently tap the zucchini slices with a paper towel to get out most of the water.
Heat a pan with oil and add in the zucchini. Cook on either side for about 5 minutes each to create a crisp surface. Set aside to let cool before you add them in to your salad.

Assemble your vinegrette dressing.

Whisk together all the ingredients and taste. Add more of anything to find the balance.

Notes

A quick less messy tip to mix the vinaigrette dressing is to use an old jar with a secure lid. Add all the ingredients into the jar, give it a good shake and there you have it. Also convenient if you don’t use all of it, because you can store it in the fridge for at least a week. Before using it again, give it a quick shake.

For a variation, exchange the pasta with 100 ml couscous. Boil 150 ml water and pour over the couscous, cover with an airtight lid and let sit for fifteen minutes, just enough time to cut and prep all the other ingredients.