Feta and Vegetable Rotini Salad (slightly adapted from Kraft Recipes, Servings: 8, Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes)
Ingredients
· 3 cups wheat rotini pasta, cooked, cooled· 1 cup crumbled Feta cheese
· 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
· 1 cup chopped cucumbers
· ½ cup Zesty Italian dressing
· ¼ cup finely chopped red onions
Directions
1.) Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate 1 hour. Stir just prior to serving.
This one was a big hit at a recent party that I hosted. I only had one serving left over, which my husband promptly at the next day. I have used both regular and tri-colored rotini with this recipe. The tri-colored gives it a little more color, but I prefer the regular wheat pasta. I omitted the black olives from the original recipe, but feel free to add them back in if you want.
The cucumbers and onions add a nice crunch to the soft, chewy pasta (I cook to al dente). The Feta imparts a slightly salty flavor, but makes a major impact on taste – with its cheesiness filling each bite. I like the Italian dressing with this dish, as opposed to a Greek, probably because I started eating salad with Italian dressing when I was younger. The Zesty Italian adds a little kick of spices that a regular Italian dressing does not. It works nicely with the Feta and the mild cucumbers.
