I remember having my momma's famous summer sausage pasta salad on the regular as a child. It was always one of my favorite dishes she made. It was so flavorful and easy to grab a bowl of after school when I was starving and lazy like most American teenagers... :) It's true! When was the last time you saw a teenager ever come home from school and actually cook something for themselves before whining "I'm STARVING mom!! I'm like, gonna die if you don't feed me!" That would be never. End of story. Teenage obnoxiousness aside, I truly savored every bowl of pasta salad my mom made. It was cool and fresh. Perfect for summer too.
Since I am no longer a teenager and have to (and actually enjoy) cooking I thought I would pay homage to my dear mother with this spin off of her glorious salad. I am a sucker for Greek flavors, and fancy-shmancy olives, so this Greek pasta salad was Born. Let me just tell you, when you have screaming whiny (although adorable) kiddos pulling at your leg at lunchtime it sure is nice to have a bowl of this Greek Pasta Salad handy in the refrigerator. It saved my life this week for sure. I came down with the billionth cold/exhausted/achy bug again and was in no state to cook for people. Thankfully I am getting much better now, and have just finished off this Greek salad. So thanks salad, for having my back, and keeping me and my kids fed all week. :)
Like I said in an earlier post, I have been focusing on keeping healthy salads at the ready in my home to deter myself from the dreaded drive-thru. Even though I have had an injured back, and have been perpetually ill for months it seems, I have still lost about a pound a week focusing on eating fresh and healthy foods. This is so encouraging when I have some baby weight to kick and cant seem to get enough exercise! I miss my road bike!
So let's all keep up the healthy eating. :)
This salad is a beauty is it not?
Lets get cooking!
I highly prefer semolina flour pasta if you can find it. It has the best texture and meatiness to it. Mmm.
To start lets boil our pasta. Never overcook your noodles. They are so much better aldente. :) Once your noodles are cooked, strain out the water and run them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Then set them aside in a large bowl.
Lets do a little produce chopping! Dice your tomatoes. Add them to the bowl.
Next decide how much cucumber you want to use. I went with 1/2 of my large english cucumber and it was plenty. Wash the outside well. Slice in half and remove the seeds. Then we will give it a large dice.
Beautimous! Love the dark green skin.
On to the nummy cheese. I like my pieces of feta to be pretty decent in size, but let your concience be your guide. :)
Add your fresh basil once you have sliced it up! Ohhh, I love the smell of fresh basil. It's the best... (Insert Nacho Libre accent)
Of course we couldn't leave out the summer sausage. It brings back too many good memories! So Slice it thin, or thick or somewhere in the middle and then cut those slices into quarters.
Toss those babies right on top of all that fresh goodness and we are almost done!
I added a lot of olives. Cause they are that good. Every last one was enjoyed in my salad. Oh babay.
Castelvetrano and Kalamata olives are my favorites. Especially the Castelvetrano. They are so buttery and mild. I could eat the entire jar if I thought I wouldn't get caught! Ha!
Now that we have all the goods in the bowl lets dress it a a bit. In a smaller bowl mix together a diced yellow onion, the contents of your Good Season's Dressing Packet, and the red wine vinegar and olive oil. Whisk it together and what do you get? Something delicious, thats for sure.....
Lastly season your salad with Kosher salt and pepper to taste. Toss it well, cover with plastic wrap and let the flavors meld for a while. Then when it's ready, pour all the delicious salad into your serving bowl of choice and have at it! Yummy!!!
Oh man! I wish all my salad wasn't already gone, this is looking pretty good right about now... Boo-hoo. Hope you enjoy it too!
CLICK ON RECIPE TO VIEW AN ENLARGED PRINTABLE PDF
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