I don’t know about you, but when the weather is hot the last thing I want to do is cook a hot meal! This pasta salad is so easy to prep, and makes a delicious offering at any barbecue. I vegan-ized this recipe by using Violife vegan feta from City Feed- it’s an incredibly convincing feta substitute, and crumbles beautifully! If you’re not vegan, feel free to use regular cheese, or to add any chopped cured meat! This pasta salad is super customizable—add whatever fresh veggies you have on hand, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb pasta
1 medium cucumber
1 lb mini sweet peppers
1 medium red onion
1 8 oz jar olives, drained
1 block feta cheese
1 pint cherry tomatoes

1/3 c olive oil
1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1 T lemon juice
5 cloves minced garlic
2 t sugar
1 t salt
1/4 t ground pepper
1 T dried dill
1 T dried parsley

Directions:

Cook pasta according to the package. Drain and cool, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking. While the pasta cooks, wash and prep your veggies: slice the cucumber and quarter the slices, slice the peppers into rounds, dice the onion, slice the olives, and halve the tomatoes. Crumble the feta cheese. Combine cooled pasta, veggies, and cheese, and mix thoroughly. In a jar, combine remaining ingredients and shake until the dressing is homogenous. Pour the dressing on the pasta and veggies, and mix. This pasta salad can be enjoyed immediately, but it’s even better the next day when the salad has had a chance to marinate in the dressing.

Julia Massicotte will be creating and sharing recipes that showcase ingredients you can buy at City Feed every week!   Currently working for us as a Floor Supervisor at City Feed and Supply, Julia is also a trained opera singer, avid fiber artist, and enthusiastic cook. She’s been helping her mother in the kitchen since infancy, but started cooking independently when she went vegetarian in sixth grade (she’s vegan now!). She favors simple recipes that bring out the best flavor in the fruits and vegetables she loves. She also enjoys venturing into more complicated recipes, including baking bread and sweets! Julia is looking forward to sharing the tips and tricks she’s learned over the last 20 years—keep your eyes peeled for her original recipes, and visit City Feed today to chat veggies with her!