We're at the perfect time of the year for picnics in many places, a staple of which is pasta salad. However, the traditional mayonnaise-based pasta salad isn't to everyone's tastes and doesn't always travel well. So we freshened it up with a Mediterranean twist. Read on for our recipe. 

Prep - 10 min

Cook - 10 min

Serves 2-3 people

Making the Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup lemon juice
• ½ small shallot
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

Step 1

Mince the shallot and add to a bowl with lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt and pepper. 

Step 2

Begin mixing the ingredients while slowly adding olive oil. 

Making the Pasta Salad

Ingredients Needed: 

• ½ cup marinated (pitted) olives
• 1 cup spinach
• ½ cup basil
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup cucumbers
• Feta cheese
• 1 box rotini, penne, fusilli, or farfalle (bowtie) pasta

Step 1

Boil pasta of your choice (we used tri-colored rotini) in salted water until al dente, or when the pasta is fully-cooked yet offers a slight resistance to the bite. Drain and rinse under cold water - store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Step 2

Prepare your mix-in ingredients: Slice the olives, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. Chop the spinach and basil. 

Step 3

Pull pasta out of the refrigerator after it’s cooled sufficiently. Add tomatoes, olives, spinach, basil, cucumbers and vinaigrette to the pasta and mix together.  

Step 4

Season with salt and pepper, top with feta cheese, taste, and adjust to your liking. 

Step 5

Enjoy!