Creamy Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Mediterranean pasta salad in decorative serving bowl.

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Creamy Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Shell pasta nestled in a yogurt-based creamy dressing with red onion, tomatoes, fresh dill, olives and a hint of fresh lemon

Prep Time10

Cook Time9

Resting time15

Total Time34

Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings: cups

Calories: 348kcal

Author: Anecia Hero

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

1 pound shell pasta
1 tablespoon sea salt
1½ cups baby spinach leaves (optional) See recipe notes
½ cup diced red onion
1 cup small grape tomatoes See recipe notes
1 cup Kalamata or sliced black olives
2 teaspoons Lemon pepper seasoning
1 cup crumbled Goat cheese or Feta cheese, divided , reserve a little for garnish
fresh dill weed, as garnish (optional)

Dressing Ingredients

1½ cups Greek yogurt, plain, whole fat
1 English cucumber; peeled and cubed (use the other half for the salad)See recipe notes
3 tablespoons fresh dill weed
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Peel the English cucumber and cut it in half and dice it into ¼ inch pieces.
Put half of the diced cucumbers into the food processor for the dressing. Reserve the other half for the salad.
Pulse cucumber to fine pieces; remove and place in a paper towel; squeeze out excess moisture and transfer to a medium size mixing bowl
1 English cucumber; peeled and cubed
Add yogurt, minced garlic, fresh dill and lemon juice to pulsed cucumbers; combine well. Cover and allow to rest a few minutes while you boil the pasta
1½ cups Greek yogurt, plain, whole fat, 3 tablespoons fresh dill weed, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Bring 5 quarts of water to boil; once it's boiling, add salt and pasta; stir frequently and cook according to al dente package instructions
1 pound shell pasta
While the pasta is cooking, chop the remaining half of the cucumber into small pieces dice the onion and cut large tomatoes in half or quarters
1 tablespoon sea salt
Drain pasta, rinse with cool water and place in large mixing bowl
Add in red onion, tomatoes, olives, half of the goat cheese, the remaining diced cucumbers to the pasta; drizzle 1 cup of the dressing over the salad and combine gently with a spatula; cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes
½ cup diced red onion, 1 cup small grape tomatoes, 1 cup Kalamata or sliced black olives
After the salad has rested, stir it up and add lemon pepper seasoning and half of the cheese. Then fold in the spinach leaves, add more dressing, taste for salt and pepper
1½ cups baby spinach leaves, 2 teaspoons Lemon pepper seasoning, salt and pepper to taste
Finish the salad off with a sprinkle of fresh dill weed and the remaining crumbled cheese
fresh dill weed, as garnish (optional)

Notes

Baby spinach leaves

This is optional; you can use mature spinach, romaine or butter lettuce to add more nutrients to this dish

Tomatoes

Use small bite-size grape tomatoes or small cherry tomatoes. If you use cherry tomatoes, you may want to cut them in half and remove the seeds, otherwise, they make the dressing too watery.

English cucumber

Cut the cucumber in half; peel and dice into small pieces; put half and put in food processor for the dressing. Reserve the remaining diced cucumbers for the salad.

Dressing

You may have a little dressing leftover; serve it as a dip with Naan or Pita bread

Nutrition