Greek Rotini Salad Recipe

This Saturday Evening’s recipe is a bit unusual in more ways than one.Â First, The Chef is not a fan of salads, so you will generally not find him serving our salad recipes.Â Also, this recipe reflects one of my culinary quirks.Â ;)Â I don’t think I have many, but notice the name of the recipe: Greek Rotini Salad.Â Now look closely at the picture… notice a key ingredient that is obviously missing…. OLIVES!

I guess it is odd that I love most Greek flavors, except for olives, being that Greek cuisine is pretty much defined by the olive.Â If I order something in a restaurant that has olives in it, I will always request that they be left out of the dish.Â I mistook an olive in a salad once for a grape… yes, once…. never made that mistake again.Â Yuck!Â I believe that was at The Olive Garden, for crying out loud!

So enough about my disdain for olives, and onto this otherwise delicious recipe.Â Oh, and if you want the olives in this dish, the recipe called for 1/4 cup of pimento-stuffed olives (double yuck!), so add them right in, and….

Enjoy.

Greek Rotini Salad

Ingredients:

3 cups rotini, uncooked
4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried whole oregano

Instructions:

Cook rotini according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water, drain well.
Combine rotini and next 6 ingredients (include olives if you are including them) in a large bowl; toss gently.
Combine olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper and oregano in a jar.Â Cover tightly and shake vigorously.Â Pour over rotini mixture; Toss gently to combine.
Cover and chill thoroughly.

NOTE:Â You probably notice diced ham in the picture… this was an adaptation recommendation from The Chef when I have wanted to add some additional protein to it.Â

NEED ANY OF THE TOOLS USED?

Rating scale

1 star - Feed it to the dog
2 stars - Surprise your neighbor

3 stars - Definite keeper

4 stars - Looking forward to leftovers

5 stars - Clean plate and nap time! Are there enough ingredients left to make it again soon?

The Chef - 2 Stars

The Lucky Wife - 5 Stars

The Well-Fed Son (5 years old) - 4 Stars
The Well-Fed Daughter (21 months old) - TBD (Note: She has not eaten this yet, but based on her love of pasta and salad dressing, my guess is it will be a 4 or 5 for her!)

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About the Author

Adopted at age 2, grew up in the Charlotte, NC area. Obtained Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Appalachian State University. Loves being a Mom of two and taste-testing Chef John's culinary creations and sharing them with readers.