Next Post
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
Serving up a big serving of one of my favorite pasta salads todays!
For whatever reason, I begin to think of pasta salad around this time of year. My dad used to make it often throughout the summer, when the days were packed full of sunshine and fun, and dinner just needed to be quick, simple, and easy!
Summer is definitely not quite here yet, but we are mid spring and the weather is finally beginning to cooperate, YAY! It was a gorgeous sunny day today, the kind that make you feel like summer is here. For me, this means way less time in the kitchen and way more time outside…or at least that’s the way I dream of it being. In reality, more likely it means me sitting in the window with the most vibrant sun shining through while typing away on the computer. Hey, but at least it’s a very big window…with incredible views…got to do what you got to do!
Anyway, this pasta salad is a mix of all the flavors I am loving right now. Fresh oregano, basil, dill, plenty of Greek veggies, and the most delicious lemony roasted broccoli. The major bonus here is that this could not be easier to put together…and the leftovers just get better, making this one of those dinners to make on Sunday and eat for lunch throughout the week. Cool. Cool.
OK, but while I love pasta salad, the real inspiration here actually came from my cousin, Maggie. She announced on the family Group Me text messaging app that she had just booked a summer trip to Greece, yes, Greece!
I mean, how amazing does that sound? I am totally jealous. She’ll be traveling to Athens, Santorini, Paros, and Crete…talk about a trip to paradise. Literally just got even more jealous typing that out. I told her to make sure to take tons and tons of photos of everything she eats so I can attempt to recreate each dish. Bring on all the gyros, colorful salads, and of course – feta!
Clearly her trip got me thinking about Greek foods, and in turn, I decided to create this simple pasta salad loaded with Greek flavors. It’s probably one of my favorite pasta salad combos, and trust me, I have made a lot of pasta salads!
The recipe starts off by roasting the broccoli in the oven with a little garlic and lemon. While that’s happening, just boil up some pasta, drain, and add all the remaining ingredients into the bowl with the hot pasta. It’s important to toss everything together while the pasta is still warm so you can really activate the flavors of the fresh herbs.
My secret flavor booster? Using the oil that comes in the sun-dried tomato jar. I feel like I’m saying this all the time now, but that oil is like liquid gold, so don’t throw it out!
My other not so secret, secret? Lots and lots of really good cubed feta cheese. It is just a must in a Greek salad.
Done and DONE.
Greek Lemon Garlic Roasted Broccoli Pasta Salad
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 293 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 heads broccoli, florets roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2-4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 1 (8 ounce) jar oil packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
- 1 zucchini thinly, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 2 Persian cucumbers, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 8 ounces feta cheese, cubed
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.2. On a large baking sheet, toss together the broccoli, pine nuts, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, and a large pinch of both salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes or until the broccoli is just beginning to char.3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and add back to the hot pot. 4. While the pasta is still warm, add the roasted broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes - plus the oil in the jar, olives and 3 tablespoons of the olive brine (the liquid surrounding the olives), the zucchini, red pepper, cucumbers, oregano, basil, dill, lemon juice and zest. Toss until well combined and the pasta is coated in oil, if needed drizzle in little olive oil over if there doesn't seem to be enough. Add the feta and gently toss. Serve warm or at room temperature. The pasta can be made up to 1 day in advance.
PS. kind of love when you can call pasta…salad. 🙂
Any type of salad that involves pasta is my kind of salad – love the Greek flavors here, so good! ?
So agreed!! Thanks Madalin!
OMG so much incredible flavor going on here!! LOVE that you added toasty pine nuts–talk about a yummy aroma. Plus how adorable is that pasta shape you used?!?! I’m surprised it’s not more common.
Thanks for the recipe!
– MAK
You hit literally all my favorite parts about this pasta salad (:
Thanks Margaret!
Oh lovely perfection on your dish…you are so in tune with the flavors, you always make us happy with you combo’s – Do It! Greece is the same..very fortunate to have traveled to the islands in the mid-90’s. Santorini at that time was truly old world, excavations to see, wonderful people…so pure, and the food…the finest. Follow the locals that live there and eat at the places they eat, they know. You get Tzatziki every meal with bread, ah yum (and garlic breath, ha!)..the museums were awesome, the digs/excavations.. things that were many centuries old. My heart misses and wishes to return some day.
AH! I need to go seriously sounds amazing! My dad would die!! He cant stand garlic breath.
Ive been googling today while procrastinating and it looks so pretty!
I hope you get to return!
Also so happy you like my dish Tammy 🙂
Any type of salad that involves pasta is my kind of salad – love the Greek flavors here, so good! 🙂
Same with me! Greek anything is YUM!
So pretty!!!
Thank you (:
You have yet to post a recipe that doesn’t get me PUUUUMPED about making dinner. 😀
Ah!! Thats amazing! So happy about this.
I’m super jealous of Maggie too!! Greece is my dream trip…I honestly think about it daily as I’m staring off into space…And this pasta salad sounds delicious. I love the addition of broccoli!
RIGHT!? I’m going to have to go at some point!
Good thing we at least have greek food (:
Ditto ….size of sun dried tomato jar?
It’s an 8 ounce jar. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love the pasta! 🙂
How large a jar of sun dried tomatoes? (I, too, don’t measure a lot of things when I cook, but a ballpark size would be helpful since I buy the humongous jars at Costco. 🙂
ditto on that question!
So sorry! It is an 8 ounce jar. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love this!
Hey Jenn! So sorry about that, it is an 8 ounce jar. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love this! 🙂
Love the tip on the oil from the sun dried tomatoes !
Thank you Susan!
it’s 6 am in minnesota & i’m craving pasta salad hardcore now! love the greek flavors & the roasted lemon. also, you should probably go visit your cousin while she’s away….just sayin’…. 🙂
So happy you like it Jess! I know!! I want to so so bad! I wish i could.
You had me at roasted broccoli! haha I’m obsessed. )I actually went to Greece a few years ago and it was amazing! I’m looking forward to all your Greek recipes. 🙂
Ah wow, so jealous! I would love to go at some point!
Thanks Caroline, hope you love them (:
Ahhh, yeah! Pasta salads are the perfect answer for quick and easy meals. This one looks incred, Tieghan!
Couldn’t agree more! Long day make a pasta salad!! Thanks Tori, so happy you like it!
This sounds soo good and perfect for a weeknight dinner!
So happy you like it Andrea (:
Your photos are always so colorful, bright, beautiful and delicious. Thank you for sharing the joy of food!
Awh thank you so much Theresa, so nice of you (: