This light and fresh lemon pasta salad with peas and feta has the perfect balance of zesty lemon, sweet peas and salty feta. Best of all, it comes together in just 15 minutes for an easy potluck dish or quick dinner!
I couldn’t resist sharing one more salad before summer is over! Earlier I shared a tuna pasta salad and a recipe for yuca en escabeche with a really zippy vinaigrette for the yuca.
So good and so easy, that’s the wonderful thing about salads. And now I’m in love with this light and fresh lemon pasta salad with peas and feta!
For this salad I used small pasta shells, but you can use any small pasta shape you like. Just be sure to salt the water before cooking.
When I was young I hated green peas. The mushy texture and weirdly sweet taste was so unappetizing!
But then I found a brand of frozen peas I love that are crisp, sweet and delicious! I even eat them plain as a snack!
I would not recommend canned peas for this recipe. And if you don’t like peas, you can use broccoli or asparagus.
For the cheese I chose crumbled feta. I absolutely adore feta cheese on just about anything, but you could also use parmesan cheese with tasty results.
Because there are so few ingredients in this salad, I highly recommend you use fresh lemon juice for the dressing.
I’ve tried this with the bottled lemon juice when that was all I had on hand and I’m telling you there is a world of difference!
Besides the freshly squeezed lemon juice, the other thing to note is that there are two ways to prepare the dressing.
The first way (which is how the recipe is written) is to warm minced garlic in olive oil and then combine with the other dressing ingredients.
The second way is to leave the garlic raw and mix everything together. If you love the pungent taste of garlic, then this is the method for you.
If you prefer it with a more toasty flavor, then let it warm in the oil first. Either way is delicious!
I usually let this lemon pasta salad chill before serving, especially in the summer, but you can eat it hot as well!
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Lemon Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound Pasta Shells small size preferred
- 1 cup Frozen Peas thawed
- 1/2 cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
- 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- juice of 2 Lemon about 1/4 cup
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes to taste
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package instructions.
- In a small pan, add the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Set the heat to low and cook until the garlic begins to sizzle, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat before garlic browns. Whisk in lemon juice, along with salt and pepper to taste.
- Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Place drained pasta in a large bowl along with peas and feta.
- Toss with dressing and refrigerate until chilled. May also be served hot or at room temperature.