Tomato Cucumber Pasta Salad with Avocado combines juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and creamy avocado in a pasta salad that showcases the best of summer produce, with Kalamata olives, crumbled Feta, and fresh dill adding extra flavor and color.
Today I bring you a pasta salad that I've revamped from one of Five Heart Home's most popular (and very first) recipes ever! To date, Tomato Cucumber Salad with Olives & Feta has been viewed and pinned about hundreds of thousands times each (thanks, y'all!). So if that recipe appeals to so many people, I figured you all might also enjoy a pasta salad spin on it, with an additional ingredient that really takes it over the top.
I think what makes this salad so delicious is its variety of colors, textures, and flavors. In the original salad, you had juicy, acidic tomatoes countered by crisp cucumbers, crumbled Feta, and briny Kalamata olives...all topped by a garlic-kissed vinaigrette infused with fresh dill, plus more dill for garnish.
So why mess with a good thing? Well, adding al dente pasta turns this veggie-based salad into something a bit more filling, yet still light enough to enjoy all summer long.
But my new secret ingredient? Chunks of avocado, which elevate an already delicious salad from exceptionally yummy to oh-my-gosh amazing.
Avocado might not be quite as Mediterranean as the other ingredients, but it sure does complement them, adding creamy richness to the fresh flavors of the cucumbers and tomatoes.
Of course, if you don't like avocado, leave it out.
If you don't like olives, omit them.
If you don't like Feta cheese...you get the drift.
This pasta salad is infinitely customizable, and you can adapt it to suit your tastes. But if you already happen to like all of these ingredients individually, I think you'll find them to be pretty dynamite once combined!
As for the pasta you see here...I actually bought some pretty, tri-colored spiral pasta to use in this recipe, but when I went to boil it, I couldn't find it in the pantry. Nor could I remember unpacking it from my shopping bags the other day. Don't you hate it when you know you put something in your cart at the grocery store but it somehow doesn't make it home? Of course, I may have been a little distracted running errands that afternoon with my face-painted day campers in tow, so no telling what actually happened to my pasta.
But luckily I had some bow ties in the pantry and they worked just fine. Bottom line? Use your favorite shape of pasta or whatever you have available. That way your salad will by unaffected by the potential forgetfulness of a distracted mom and/or harried grocery store bagger. 😉
If you love cucumbers and tomatoes, or if you happen to find yourself overrun with a garden full of them this summer, I hope you'll give this recipe a try!
And if you're still looking for a last-minute Fourth of July side dish, I'm pretty sure this one would disappear quickly.
Of course, you don't need a holiday or a picnic or a BBQ to enjoy it...this Tomato Cucumber Pasta Salad with Avocado would also make a fabulous lunch or light supper all summer long, and you could even toss some slices of grilled chicken on top if that's you're thing.
Enjoy, friends! Have a great week! And may you make it home from the grocery store with all of your pasta salad ingredients in tow. 😉
Adapted from Tomato Cucumber Salad with Olives & Feta
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