Mediterranean Pasta Salad -

Looking for a delicious, easy-to-make pasta salad to pack up for picnics or lunchboxes? You found it! This delicious Mediterranean Pasta Salad has cherries, artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, pine nuts, feta cheese, fresh basil and oregano, and a delicious lemon dressing with fresh lemon zest. Wow, that’s truly a laundry list of some of my favorite ingredients!

My love for pasta salad knows no bounds. I truly could eat a delicious pasta salad every day of my life. I came up with this pasta salad for my Shakespeare in the Park picnic, mainly because I didn’t feel like going to the store and wanted to make a new recipe using ingredients I had on hand.

The lemon zest and fresh herbs make a huge difference so don’t skip it. Use really high-quality feta for this dish. Cucumbers and roasted red pepper would also be delicious additions to this already amazing pasta salad. If you wanted to make it heartier, it would be delicious with my Perfect Grilled Chicken, salmon, or shrimp.

I hope you love this combination as much as I do! You can of course use whatever pasta you’d like but these little shells are perfect because the feta and pine nuts hide inside.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Serves 6-8
1 pound pasta
1/4 cup lemon juice (a large lemon)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt, pepper, zest of half a lemon
1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup marinated artichoke hearts, halved
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
8 oz feta cheese block, crumbled
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh oregano

Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions. Drain.
Whisk together 1/4 freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/4 extra virgin olive oil, zest of half a lemon, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Toss pasta with dressing. Let sit for 10-20 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Chill at least an hour before serving. Perfect for picnics or lunchboxes!

This recipe was featured in an episode of The Rose Table! Watch it here: