Pasta Salad With Chicken Cucumber Cherry Tomatoes And Feta Food

PASTA SALAD WITH CHICKEN, CUCUMBER, CHERRY TOMATOES AND FETA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook according to the package directions; drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Meanwhile, make the dressing: Combine the garlic, red pepper flakes and olive oil in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, for 3 minutes; let cool. Season with salt and black pepper.
• Add the chicken, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and feta to the pasta. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and black pepper. Chill for up to 3 hours.

GREEK PASTA SALAD WITH SHRIMP, TOMATOES, ZUCCHINI, PEPPERS, AND FETA

Steps:

• To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the rice wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, pinch of salt, and pepper; slowly pour in 2/3 cup olive oil, whisking constantly. Pour into a jar with a tight-fitting lid to transport it to the picnic.
• Adjust oven rack to highest position and turn broiler on high. Toss zucchini and bell pepper with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste, and arrange on a large baking sheet with sides. Broil until spotty brown, 8 to 10 minutes, turning zucchini slices and pepper halves once. Set aside in a large bowl to cool, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Bring 1 gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to boil. Add pasta; boil using package times, until just tender. Drain thoroughly (do not rinse) and dump onto the baking sheet. Set aside to cool.
• Put vegetables, pasta and remaining ingredients (except dressing) in the bowl or a gallon-sized zipper bag (can be refrigerated for several hours). When ready to serve, add dressing; toss to coat.

GREEK PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the penne, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Rinse with cold water and drain well in a colander set in the sink.
• Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Set aside. Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, green and red peppers, cucumber, olives, and feta cheese in a large bowl. Pour vinaigrette over the pasta and mix together. Cover and chill for 3 hours before serving.

PASTA SALAD W/FETA AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Cook pasta al dente and drain.
• Blend olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, jam, salt and pepper until smooth; set aside.
• In large bowl mix green onions, carrot, tomatoes, cucumber; stir well.
• Add pasta and stir.
• Add feta and parsley and stir.
• Add dressing, mix and serve.

CUCUMBER, TOMATO AND PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook rotini as directed on package to al dante; Drain and run pasta under cold water.
• Drizzle italian dressing over pasta, mixing slowly so as not to break apart the pasta pieces. Add in tomatoes, black olives, cucumber, and 5 tablespoons of the feta cheese. Continue mixing ingredients until well-coated.
• Sprinkle remaining feta cheese over pasta mixture and top with almonds. (Instead of almonds I've used Melissa's Salad Sprinkles. This could not be located in RecipeZaar as a recognized ingredient but I wanted to record it in the directions as another option for a salad topper.).
• NOTE: If you don't care for feta cheese, try using Parmesan cheese instead. It tastes just as good and gives the salad a somewhat different flavor. Use only four to five tablespoons instead and mix in as given above.