Greek Pasta Salad

DRESSING
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tsp red wine vinegar
Juice of one lemon
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp Fresh-ground black pepper
salt

PASTA FIXINGS
1 lb pasta of choice
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup pitted green olives, halved
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

To Make the Dressing

1. Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, juice from 1 lemon, oregano, black pepper and a few pinches of salt to a bowl. Whisk together until it emulsifies and is properly combined. Give it a taste and add more salt if you like (I added about 1/2 teaspoon more)

To Make the Pasta Fixings

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook per the instructions on the package, or until al dente. Drain and run under cold water. (I normally would never run my pasta under cold water but I do this for pasta salad only.) Return back to the pot and drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil and toss. The oil will help the pasta from sticking as it cools.

2. To a medium bowl, add the olive oil, green olives, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and feta cheese, reserved cold pasta and salad dressing. Toss together until evenly coated. Give it a taste and adjust the salt as needed. Make sure to get a bite with the cheese because that helps with the saltiness in this dish. Serve. This is a great thing to make ahead for a party or BBQ. I would add all of the ingredients to the bowl and add the dressing just before serving.

Servings: 8