Mediterranean Whole Wheat Pasta Salad

This pasta salad features crisp arugula, juicy pearl tomatoes, salty feta tossed together with balsamic dressing and topped with fresh mint. It’s the mayo-less pasta salad of your dreams and is perfect for picnics.

The Story Behind Mediterranean Whole Wheat Pasta Salad

Story time! I rarely do this with my recipes, but this one is a throwback all the way to my high school years and I have to. Being the cool kid I was I always watched Everyday Italian on the Food Network after school, and especially during summer breaks. While other high school seniors were busy spending time outside hanging out with their friends (I presume) I spent hours in the kitchen experimenting with the mediterranean ingredients I saw featured on the show.

This pasta salad was specifically created for a senior skip day beach trip with my friends (probably the riskiest thing I’d done in all of my grade school years) and to say it was a hit would be an understatement. Tbh, my friends still talk about this pasta salad to this day (many many years later) and I haven’t made it for them since then.

Why You Should Make Mediterranean Whole Wheat Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is first, and foremost, extremely easy to make and my favorite part about it is that prep work is minimal. The most involved parts of the recipe are boiling the pasta (I mean, if you’re reading this I trust you can boil water) and cutting the tomatoes in half. You got that? Great, this salad will be a breeze.

The mix of mediterranean flavors from peppery arugula, ripe pearl tomatoes, salty feta cheese and the classic balsamic vinaigrette give this pasta salad amazing balance and complex flavor without having to work too hard and this pasta salad is mayo-free for all of you who aren’t fans like me!

Ingredients for Mediterranean Whole Wheat Pasta Salad

• Whole Wheat Pasta
• Crumbled feta
• Pearl tomatoes
• Arugula
• Mint
• Salt
• Pepper
• Balsamic Vinaigrette (The best ones to use are ones with a strong garlic or onion flavor. In the past I’ve used Newman’s Own brand, but the choice is up to you!)

How to Make Mediterranean Whole Wheat Pasta Salad

1. Boil pasta, chop pearl tomatoes and mint. Add ½ a pound of pasta to a large pot of salted boiling water. Stir once or twice with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking and allow pasta to cook for 8 minutes (or follow directions on package for cook times to get slightly al dente pasta). While pasta cooks, slice 1 cup of pearl tomatoes in half lengthwise and set aside in a bowl. Then, chiffonade mint leaves and set aside in a separate bowl.

Once pasta has cooked immediately drain and rinse pasta briefly with cold water to stop the cooking process (whole wheat pasta can get mushy fast!) and to keep from cooking the produce ingredients.

2. Combine ingredients & Toss. Pour pasta in a large bowl along with 1 cup of arugula, 1 cup of sliced pearl tomatoes, ½ cup of crumbled feta, ¼ cup of mint and ½ cup of balsamic vinaigrette. Use salad tongs or large wooden spoons to toss and thoroughly to combine. Test salad and add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Serve. This pasta salad can be served immediately (thanks to cooling it down with the cold water at the end), though it’s best when the flavors of the balsamic get to marinate in the fridge for at least in hour.

If making this for later, it is best to make this salad same day to prevent arugula and mint from wilting prior to serving. If you must make this salad the day before, add the mint and arugula in just before serving to keep the salad fresh!