Israeli Pasta Salad is a mash-up of two of my favorite summer salads, it’s packed with veggies and is the perfect make-ahead potluck or bbq dish– it actually gets better after a day or two in the fridge!
I keep a perpetual supply of Israeli pasta salad going in my refrigerator all summer long!.
It’s there waiting for us when we come in the door, sweaty, tired, and hungry. It’s breakfast, lunch, snack, and, occasionally, dinner. Does the world need another pasta salad? I don’t know, probably not, but maybe this one will inspire some of you to change up your old standard. This veggie packed version is made just like my favorite Chopped Israeli Salad, with the addition of pasta. The dressing is simply olive oil and fresh lemon juice…I love that.
Ingredients for chopped Israeli salad
- small sized pasta
- cucumber
- radish
- tomato
- bell pepper
- olives, black and green
- red onion
- pepperoncini
- feta cheese
- fresh herbs
I laid out my ingredients above, the only thing missing is the pepperoncini, which gives it some kick, if you don’t like heat, leave that out. I added the olives and the pepperoncini at the suggestion of Dave, one of the commenters on the chopped salad post, who lives in Israel. I love getting feedback from you guys, and I especially love hearing how you do things differently, so please don’t hesitate to comment with your ideas. We have so much to share with each other 🙂
Pack your pasta salad in mason jars for fun meal prep!
I love to fill wide mouthed mason jars with this Israeli Pasta Salad, it makes it super easy to store, and we can pull them out as needed and eat right out of the jar.
More chopped salads to try~
- Chopped Asparagus SaladÂ
- Chopped Salad with Spicy Tomato Vinaigrette
- Israeli Chopped Salad
- Cowboy Caviar
Chopped Israeli Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound small bow tie or other small pasta
- 1/3 cup cucumber finely diced (I like to use small Persian cucumbers)
- 1/3 cup radish finely diced
- 1/3 cup tomato finely diced (drain excess liquid)
- 1/3 cup yellow bell pepper finely diced
- 1/3 cup orange bell pepper finely diced
- 1/3 cup black olives finely diced
- 1/3 cup green olives halved
- 1/3 cup red onion finely diced
- 1/3 cup pepperoncini diced
- 1/3 cup feta cheese finely diced
- lots of fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in well salted water until just al dente, don't over cook. I usually cook it at least 2 minutes under the time listed on the package. Drain and rinse in cold water.
- Put the well drained (not dripping wet) pasta in a bowl and toss with a little olive oil so it doesn't stick together. Add the veggies, oregano, thyme, and salt and pepper. Hold out the feta cheese until the end.
- Add the 1/4 cup olive oil and lemon juice and toss well. Gently fold in the feta cheese.
- Refrigerate the salad for at least 2 hours, up to overnight. Taste before serving, you may want to add more olive oil, lemon, salt, or pepper.
- Garnish with fresh thyme.
Cook's notes
- This salad keeps well, and it's a good choice for picnics, barbecues, and other outdoor events. I would even go so far as to say that it's better the next day or even two.
- Be sure to use a small sized pasta for this, if you can't find mini bow ties, use elbows. You don't want the pasta to overwhelm the finely diced veggies.
Nutrition
22 Comments
Barbara Potter
February 15, 2021 at 11:02 amLove this and the dressing.
Marlein kuttab
October 7, 2020 at 8:55 pmI am interested to know why this is called Israeli Pasta Salad. This actually is a mediterranean salad. We make it in Greece, turkey, Italy, Palestine, Lebanon and Egypt . Just wondering why.
cheri
June 11, 2016 at 3:33 pmI can see why you always have some sort of pasta salad in the fridge during the summer, this looks amazing and so full of flavor.
Susan
June 11, 2016 at 11:38 amTalk about fresh! This salad is the epitome of crisp and delicious freshness, Sue. Beautiful to look at and totally delicious.
Laura | Tutti Dolci
June 11, 2016 at 9:34 amI love this pasta salad, so colorful and summery! And thank you for no mayo ;).
Sara
June 11, 2016 at 7:26 amThis salad is so pretty, perfect for a summer picnic!
Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners
June 11, 2016 at 6:42 amThis is such a lovely salad, Sue. All the great flavors with it’s own unique look – Love it!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
June 10, 2016 at 8:12 pmpasta salads are perfect for the season! love how delicious + vibrant this one is.
Pamela
June 10, 2016 at 5:15 pmI always wonder about cold clammy pasta in salads. It has never called to me. I would like/love this without the pasta. Is it really tasty with that cold clammy pasta in it??
😉
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
June 10, 2016 at 5:02 pmFabulous salad. Love all the great flavours together in one bowl!