shrimp macaroni salad with peas and olives

Serve it with hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled pork, or steak. So many meat entrees are delicious with Greek Pasta Salad. Add shredded rotisserie chicken for a quick and refreshing summer lunch or dinner.Replace feta cheese with goat cheese or fresh mozzarella for a different taste.Swap out cheese tortellini for the farfalle pasta to make a delicious and filling main entree meal.a mixture of fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, and chives,.Customize the salad by adding any of the following:.Substitute chopped Romaine lettuce for the pasta if you prefer a gluten-free or low-carb version of this salad.Store salad refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The water should be well seasoned, so the pasta does not taste bland. How much salt should I add to the water when cooking pasta.įor 8 ounces (½ pound) of dry pasta, I recommend using 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons salt in 2 quarts of water. Kosher salt and coarse ground pepper-season the salad.You can also use fresh oregano if you have it growing in your garden. Dried oregano-this is traditionally used in Greek cooking.Garlic cloves-in a pinch, substitute ½ teaspoon garlic powder.Dijon mustard-the mustard helps emulsify the dressing and adds flavor to the dressing.Red wine vinegar-The vinegar gives the salad a nice 'zing.' You can also substitute freshly squeezed lemon juice.Olive oil-I prefer olive oil, but you can also use vegetable or canola oil.It takes about 5 minutes to make a Greek salad dressing, and you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry! So why not make it fresh! Drain before adding them to the salad.Ī storebought bottled dressing will work in this salad, but it contains unnecessary preservatives and ingredients. To mellow the flavor of the red onions, soak the onions in salted warm water (a pinch of salt) for 10 minutes.Use small pasta so the dressing can get in the nooks and crannies, yielding a tastier salad.Cook the pasta to al dente otherwise, overcooked pasta leads to a mushy salad.Stir the pasta occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.Don't skip this step! For 8 ounces of dry pasta, I recommend 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of salt to 2 quarts of water. Salt the pasta water so that the salad will not be bland.If you don't like feta cheese, you can also use goat cheese or fresh mozzarella. Feta cheese-this cheese adds a salty creaminess which is the perfect addition to the salad.Other fresh herbs that work well are chives, dill, or oregano. Parsley-Parsley adds a fresh taste to this salad.In a pinch, you could use sweet yellow onions. Red onion-these onions are my personal favorite, and you will traditionally find them in Greek salads.However, I would not recommend green bell peppers because they don't offer the same level of sweetness that you get from red, yellow, or orange bell peppers. Red bell pepper-Yellow or orange bell peppers can also be used.If you use English cucumbers, cut off the ends because they can be bitter. Cucumbers-I like to use English or Persian cumbers because they have fewer seeds, and I do not have to peel them.Grape tomatoes-cherry tomatoes can also be used.However, any short-shaped pasta will work, such as fusilli, penne, orzo, ziti, or orecchiette. Farfalle pasta-I love farfalle-shaped pasta for Greek pasta salads.Make extra to eat for lunches throughout the week or as a leftover over with rotisserie chicken. Serve it at a family barbeque, neighborhood potluck, or graduation party. This salad is the perfect side dish with any grilled meat. It is easy to double or triple the recipe if you need to make it for a crowd. The great thing about this Greek pasta salad is that it is dressed with a zesty Greek-style vinaigrette dressing, and no mayonnaise is involved. Many pasta salads use mayonnaise-based dressings. He said, 'This is a delicious salad I like it!.' I was thrilled because now I could serve it for lunch and dinner too! Typically, I make this salad and eat it for lunches, but I thought I would make it as a side dish for dinner. The other night I made this pasta salad and was unsure if my husband would like it because he tends to be a pickier eater than me. Even though I usually do not eat a lot of pasta, I make an exception with this refreshing salad because I load it with lots of fresh veggies to offset the carbs in the pasta. I have a long list of salads I love to make for lunch in the summer, and Greek Pasta Salad tops the list. A zesty dressing combines all the ingredients to make a refreshing salad for warm and sunny days. If you don't like olives, you are in luck! This pasta salad is made without them. It is loaded with sweet grape tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, crunchy red bell peppers, parsley, creamy feta cheese, and pasta. This Greek-style pasta salad is the perfect summer side dish.

Shrimp macaroni salad with peas and olives