Have the day off? Memorial Day is here — and it’s sort of like the unofficial kickoff to summer (even though technically the first day isn’t until June 21). 

Memorial Day celebrations might range from the first day at the pool, a picnic in the park, a cookout in your backyard or maybe even just a long, lazy day right there on your couch. Luckily, this simple and quick dish can suit any of those moods.

Spiral pasta, crisp veggies (like cucumber, onion and tomato), salty feta cheese and a tart vinaigrette combine into something you can start a meal with, serve alongside the main dish, or honestly just eat all on its own.

We hope you like this one!

Refreshing Greek Feta Pasta Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2½ cups whole-wheat rotini, 8 oz total
• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 3 slices red onions, chopped
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 8 olives, halved
• 1½ tbsp red wine vinegar
• ¼ lemon, juiced
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp oregano
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
2. To make the vinaigrette, mix vinegar, lemon juice, garlic powder, oregano and salt in a bowl. Slowly add olive oil, whisking until it is well-combined.
3. Dice and chop the vegetables: onions, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper and olives.
4. Mix the pasta, vegetables and vinaigrette, then top with crumbled feta cheese.
5. Serve immediately warm or allow the dish to chill in the refrigerator until cool.

Content writer Ada Wood enjoys exploring the stories that science and climate teach us about our natural world and how it influences the way we live in it.