Mediterranean Pasta Salad

I love pasta salad! To me, it is quintessential summer food, especially when you can add veggies straight from your own garden. Yum!

But who am I kidding? I love to eat pasta salad year round! It makes a great side dish or add some grilled chicken or steak and you have a full meal that is not only good for you but tastes amazing too!

Since starting to eat the Trim Healthy Mama way in August of 2013, I’ve missed regularly making pasta salad. I used to make the boxed kind, but that is definitely not on plan.

Well after many times of tweaking the dressing for this salad, I got it right! By using Dreamfields Pasta, this salad is completely on plan and absolutely delicious. No one in my family could tell that I used a low carb pasta. A win for this Mama!

I bring this pasta salad to parties, family reunions and church potlucks and people are always asking for the recipe. No one will realize that you are serving them a low carb dish. I love that it allows me to stay on plan, but not feel deprived at all.

Because it is not a mayo-based salad it is safe to bring to outdoor parties without needing to keep it cold. You definitely don’t want anyone getting sick off a dish you bring!

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One of my favorite things about this pasta salad is how quickly and easily it comes together. Start by preparing the pasta according to the package’s directions.

I used Dreamfield’s pasta, but if you do not follow Trim Healthy Mama you can use any regular pasta. Cut and shape do not matter.

While the pasta is cooking, cut the vegetables and the pepperoni and place at the bottom of a large mixing bowl.

In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and spices and set aside.

Once the pasta is done cooking, drain the pasta well and let it cool completely. To speed the process up I rinse the pasta under cold water. Once it is cool, add it to the bowl of vegetables and pepperoni.

Whisk the dressing once more and pour over top of the pasta and vegetables. Add half of the Feta cheese and stir. Add the other half of the Feta cheese and stir again. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.

Some other items that are delicious to add in are black olives, diced broccoli or cauliflower and cucumbers. Use what you have on hand and make this salad your own!

This stays good in the fridge for up to three days, so if you can’t finish it all in one sitting, or you bring some leftovers home from a get together no worries!