Greek Pasta Salad

I love pasta salad in the summer. This particular pasta salad is simple to make and can be served warm, cold, or at room temperature. It doesn’t have and dairy or mayonnaise so it is a great option for picnics or outdoor meals because it is safe a room temperature for a much longer time.

The chickpeas and olives add some texture contrast and nice flavor to the pasta. You want to be sure to use plenty of salt in the pasta cooking water. Don’t worry, you won’t consume that much salt, but you can tell if the pasta wasn’t cooked in salted water. It will taste bland.

Greek Pasta Salad

1 Pound Pasta cooked in salted water and drained

1 6 oz Can Black Olives, drained

1 15 oz Can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/3 Cup Lemon Juice (from 3-4 lemons)

1/2 Cup Olive Oil (This is place to use your good extra virgin olive oil.)

1 teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt

1 teaspoon Dried Oregano

1 Clove Garlic

1/8 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

Directions

Slice the black olives in half. Add olives, chickpeas and pasta to a large bowl. In a blender mix remaining ingredients and blend for 15-30 seconds to make the dressing. Pour the dressing over the pasta mixture and mix well with a large spoon. Serve immediately, or chill and serve later.