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Did you know April 23rd is picnic day? What are your favorite picnic recipes? Add this Greek Pasta Salad to your next picnic spread.
I had many summer jobs during high school and in between college semesters. One of them was at an outdoor catering business. We did a lot of BBQ’s and graduation parties, which served the classic outdoor fair, including burgers, hot dogs, barbeque chicken, and ribs. Plus, the typical sides like, potato salad, pasta, salad, and coleslaw.
Making the sides was one of the tasks I simply dreaded. With catering, every recipe is made in mass quantities to serve a crowd.
Do you have a certain food or ingredient that just skeeves you out? For me it’s mayonnaise. For a large party, I would have to make potato salad in these large buckets and wear these giant gloves to toss the mayonnaise in.
I used Banza pasta for this recipe. I feel like there are never enough plant-based protein options available at barbeques. This is a great way to have a protein-packed option for those who don’t eat meat and want to enjoy this as more of a meal than a side dish.
Greek Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 8
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: pasta, side dish
Description
Everyone will love it when you bring this Greek Pasta Salad to your next BBQ!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces box rotini Banza pasta (or pasta of your choice)
- 1-pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 seedless cucumber, peeled and quartered
- 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- salt, to taste
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- In a large bowl combine, pasta, tomatoes, cucumbers, chickpeas, and olives.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, and oregano. Season with salt to taste.
- Drizzle dressing over pasta salad and toss to combine. Gently fold in feta cheese just before serving.
Keywords: pasta salad, side dish, vegetarian
Check out some more picnic inspired recipes. Click on the link below.
Pin for later!
I made a similar Greek pasta salad using the Banza when you told me that it holds up well. IT DOES! Everyone appreciated the healthy and tasty profile of the dish.
I love all of the color and texture in this greek pasta salad! Thank you for making it mayo free… we have so many cookouts and picnics in the spring and summer and mayo + warm temps is never a good combination. Pinning to try soon!
Feel the same about mayo, haha! This looks great!
LOVE “Greek salad” flavors. Seriously – something I crave in warm weather 🙂