Sides

Porchlight Pasta Salad

A bright, herb-heavy pasta salad with lemon vinaigrette, feta, and crunchy vegetables.

Prep 25 mins

Cook 10 mins

Total 35 mins

Serves 8

Shared by Eli on Birch Court

potluck cold vegetarian

A platter of pasta salad with tomatoes, cucumber, herbs, and crumbled feta.

Headnote

Eli leaves this on the porch any time dinner turns into a last-minute, bring-something situation. It tastes fully awake straight from the fridge, which is exactly what you want when folding chairs are already set up and the sun is still hanging around.

The lemon and dill keep it from tasting heavy, and the feta makes it feel like more than an afterthought side.

Cook's notes

Toss the onion with a little vinaigrette first if you want to mellow its bite.
This travels well to park dinners and keeps its texture for several hours.

Variations

Add chickpeas for a more filling lunch version.
Swap dill for basil if that is what you have on hand.

Ingredients

1 pound short pasta, such as fusilli or rotini
1 English cucumber, diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
1 cup kalamata olives, halved
6 ounces feta, crumbled
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped dill
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Method

Cook the pasta in well-salted water until just past al dente, then rinse it briefly under cool water and drain well.
Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Dijon, salt, and pepper in a large serving bowl.
Add the pasta, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olives, parsley, and dill, then toss until everything is evenly coated.
Fold in the feta just before serving so it stays in visible crumbles.
Chill for at least 20 minutes if you have time, then taste and brighten with more lemon if needed.