Summertime always brings about the produce that makes me happy. It wasn’t always so, but in recent years, I’ve developed a taste for fresh, local produce, and an eye for colourful, vibrant food. These heirloom tomatoes were just what I needed to make a Heirloom Tomato Feta Pasta Salad!
Pasta salad is one of my favourite go-to dishes. I love to make a big batch of it in the summertime and serve it for a few meals. You can rest assured that pasta salad can last for 3 days in your refrigerator as long as it is stored properly and free of products like mayonnaise or sour cream. Who knows – they might be okay too, but I’m a little OCD about leaving food for too long, even if it is stored properly.
You can ask John.e about how much I like to clean out food storage containers. He’s one of those that will open the lid, look at the food inside, smell it, and eat it if it looks and smells okay. I’ll open the fridge and think, “This has been in here for three days!” I remove the container from the fridge and put in the garbage whole. I won’t dare risk opening it for fear of smelling something rancid. I cannot tell you how many times I have thrown away my favourite pieces of Tupperware, because I’m too afraid to open the lid.
Why is it that refrigerators can sometimes act like some lost abyss, like something out of a Tim Burton movie? It’s true! I put things the refrigerator and sometimes they completely disappear. Either McKenna or John.e has eaten it, or it just gets lost way at the back where nobody dares reach or look. Is your fridge like that too, or is it just ours?
There was very little risk of this Heirloom Tomato Feta Pasta Salad going to waste though! It’s a great tasting dish and can be served as a main – even just on its own – or as a side dish. The first night I made it, both John.e and McKenna had it for dinner. There was enough left so that the next day, McKenna had some for lunch, and then I split the leftovers between them both for dinner with a grilled seitan cutlet.
I, of course, tasted the pasta a few times to make sure everything was just right, but that was it. My diet over those two days consisted of dry lettuce and tepid water. #fatboyproblems
Even though there are very few and very simple ingredients in this pasta dish, the taste is fresh and wonderful! Use the freshest tomatoes (local!) you can find; buy good, salty feta, use the best olive oil, and don’t be afraid to pile in the freshness of the green onions. A simple seasoning of freshly ground black pepper and a good helping of salt will be all the seasoning you need.
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Heirloom Tomato Feta Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups heirloom tomatoes, halved (or cherry/grape tomatoes)
- 450 grams penne pasta, prepared as per package instructions, drained and cooled
- 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled (plus more for garnish)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup green onions, chopped (plus more for garnish)
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped (plus more for garnish)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper to a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add the pasta, tomatoes, green onions, and parsley. Toss to combine.
- Add the feta and lightly toss to incorporate into the salad.
- Refrigerate the pasta in a sealed container for at least two hours. Toss once again and serve cold.
- Plate, garnish, and serve.
Nutrition
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Meaghan | Cook. Craft. Love. says
I recently discovered a love for cooked tomatoes and raw tomatoes are next! How could anything be bad when you mix it with pasta??
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Recently? Meaghan! Tomatoes are awesome in almost any form! (Except in a drink; that’s just nasty!)