I really love the flavors of this Chilled Mediterranean Pasta Salad with its sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes and olives. And when you add the pasta, it just works together deliciously.
About Chilled Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Salads are really healthy and perfect any time of the year, but even more so in the hot days of summer when you want to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible.
I became a big fan of chilled pasta salad when I lived in Hawaii.
Fortunately, I was within walking distance of Waikiki Beach and often stopped at Duke’s for lunch.
Hawaii can get pretty hot. Especially in the summer when the trade winds were low, it gets pretty sticky there.
But with Duke’s open air restaurant right on the beach and with their overhead fans going, it can be great, especially watching the waves.
Then when you add one of their absolutely cooling and delicious chilled pasta salads, well it gets pretty close to perfection.
So, yes, I’m a fan of chilled pasta salads.
And I really do love this Chilled Mediterranean Pasta Salad. Mostly because has so many healthy Mediterranean ingredients.
Make it in the morning, then let it chill in the refrigerator as it’s flavors marry together.
So, let’s make it!
Ingredients for Chilled Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- Farfalle pasta
- Artichokes
- Sun dried tomatoes
- Black kalamata olives
- Green Manzanilla olives
- Red onion
- Cooked chicken breast
- Cucumber
- Feta cheese
- Olive oil
- Vinegar
- Lemon juice
- McCormick’s Mediterranean Sea Salt
How to Make Chilled Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Start with your favorite short pasta. I happen to love farfalle, the little bow tie pasta. I normally buy the larger size, but I recently found it in a mini size, and it was so cute I had to buy it.
But really you can use any bite sized pasta in this dish. Penne or macaroni would work fine.
Then there’s the ruffled cups, campanelle or the corkscrew fusilli. It just depends on what you like.
Whichever pasta you choose, just follow the package directions and cook it until it’s al dente. I
Once your pasta is finished cooking, pour it into a colander and immediately rinse it with cold water.
Shake the colander well to remove the excess water, add a little olive oil to keep it from sticking together and add it to your serving bowl.
Now on to the ingredients. I used Trader Joe’s canned artichokes for two reasons. First, they’re delicious and second, you can’t beat the convenience.
Then you add the sun dried tomatoes. These tomatoes are sweet and full of flavor.
And I also added a couple different types of olives – black kalamatas and green manzanilla – just because I wanted the variety, but you certainly can use just one or the other.
Next came red onions for a zing and cucumbers both for freshness and a crunch. To really make this a main dish salad, I also added cooked chicken and finally salty feta cheese.
And to bring the whole salad together, I made a simple vinaigrette of oil, vinegar, some lemon juice, a Mediterranean spice blend from McCormick’s and ground pepper.
Oh by the way, if you’re into healthy recipes, this is a winner. All this wonderful deliciousness is only 352 calories per serving!
Chilled Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Farfalle Pasta
- 1/4 Cup Diced Sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 Cucumber Diced
- 8 Artichokes, split in half Trader Joe's Artichokes in water
- 2 Tbsp Sliced Kalamata olives
- 2 Tbsp Manzanillo olives
- 3 Tbsp Diced shallots
- 1/2 Cup Cooked chicken breast Diced
- 3 Tbsp Feta cheese
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Large Lemon Juiced
- 2 Tsp Lemon zest
- 2 Tbsp Red wine vinegar
- 1/2 Tsp Mediterranean Spiced Sea Salt McCormick's
Instructions
- Cook the pasta to an al dente stage in a large pot of generously salted (1 tsp) water according to package directions. Drain pasta and rinse under cold water for about 20-30 seconds until no longer hot. Transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl. Add cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, shallots, artichokes, chicken and feta cheese.
- Dressing: To a small bowl add olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, vinegar and Mediterranean Spice and whisk well.
- Pour dressing over the pasta salad and toss until evenly coated. Chill for at least an hour and serve with extra feta cheese and black pepper if desired.
Nutrition
Here’s some more delicious salad recipes:
Bow Ties with Seafood – Halifax Style
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