I have a new favorite summer-time pasta dish! I have always been drawn to Greek-style dishes, and this vegetarian Greek pasta recipe is so fresh and light that it’s perfect for hot summer nights. Serve this pasta hot for a main dish or chill and serve cold as a pasta salad for your next summer BBQ with friends.
Up until Saturday afternoon, we have been living (barely!) with no air conditioning. In order to stay sane, I’ve had to cut back on a lot of things - like cleaning and cooking - that are simply too difficult to do in extreme indoor heat. I was tired of eating quick meal - frozen foods, pizza, etc - and was craving something lighter, and discovered a recipe that I was able to adjust to fit my tastes perfectly. The fresh tomatoes, olives, feta cheese and spices tossed with a garlic and olive oil pasta was not only easy to throw together, but it was refreshing to eat…even on a hot summer night.
- 2-3 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped basil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound (uncooked) penne pasta
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 teaspoons garlic, minced
- In a large bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes, olives, feta, spices, salt and pepper. Chill while the pasta is cooking.
- In a large pot, add penne pasta to salted, boiling water. Cook according to package directions. Drain.
- In the same pot, while pasta is draining, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Return the pasta to the pot and toss with olive oil mixture.
- Add pasta and tomato-olive mixture to a large serving dish and toss until the fresh vegetables are thoroughly mixed with the penne.
I was tempted more than once while I was cooking the penne to just eat the tomato-olive-and-feta mixture by itself. It smelled delicious!
Note: My kids all took the olives out when they ate the pasta…but that just meant more yumminess for my hubby and me. Everyone loved the flavors of the dish, but the olives, I admit, were not a kid-favorite. If you’re not a fan of olives, I’m sure it would still be tasty if you left those out.
PS - I love my ceramic pasta dish. Here’s a similar one for a great price on Amazon!
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This looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty - we hope to see you again next week.
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
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What a yummy pasta…I think everyone here is going to love it! I’m so glad you shared this one with us at #FoodieFriDIY! Spreading some foodie love around for you!
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Oh wow, this looks yummy. I love the flavor of pasta with feta, in any recipe so I will absolutely have to try this one. I’m also a big fan of Greek so this is likely to end up being one of my go to recipes for this upcoming summer. Thanks!
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A local pasta place serves a Greek pasta dish with chicken and it’s become my new favorite. I’ll have to try your recipe and add some chicken. Can’t wait! Thanks for posting this.
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Thank you so much for linking up last week in my menu plan! I loved reconnecting with your blog because of the FB Social Media group. Really this recipe rocks and we are going to make it. Your recipe was picked to be featured in this weeks menu plan post and link party! Come on over and see your feature and share more menu & food ideas!!!
susie
http://www.susieqtpiescafe.com/2013/07/Menu-Plan-Monday-Summer-Meals.html
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Lolli Reply:
July 15th, 2013 at 12:59 pm
Thanks!! I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we did!
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