Greek Pasta Salad

It's my Father In Law's birthday tomorrow and we want to make it a really special one for him. He LOVES salt - even more than I do! He also loves a little spice (like from a good peperoncini), the briny flavor of every kind of olive you can think of - so while a couple of my kids will only have a "no thank you bite" I only care whether or not Papa likes it!! I'll let you know how it goes with my picky kids!

Greek Pasta Salad
Bow tie pastaKen's Greek Salad Dressing (or your fave)
Cucumbers
Red onion, diced
Sundried tomatoes
Artichoke hearts (usually I have them in a can quartered)
Bell peppers, diced (multi colored)
Peperoncini (whole)
Feta, crumbled

Cook pasta to directions on package. Drain, rinse with cold water. Drain cold water off and add to a container with an air tight lid. Add about half the salad dressing to the pasta and put in the refrigerator while you prep everything else.

I peel, slice and quarter the cucumbers - do what ever you like! Then I dice about 1/2 a large red onion, dice the bell peppers (my favorite are red, orange and yellow - no thanks green!) Drain the artichokes and cut them into bite sized pieces. Do the same for the sundried tomatoes*

Combine all ingredients with the pasta that has been marinating in the Greek Dressing. Stir to combine and get that salad dressing all over the other ingredients.

Let refrigerate for as long as you can - at least 1 hour - I like to make the pasta/dressing the night before.

About 30 minutes before serving - check out how the dressing is doing. If it's had enough time - most of it should be absorbed into the pasta. Check for taste. I generally add the remainder of the dressing to keep the salad from being too dry while adding more flavor. Add the peperoncini's and feta very last - just before serving - if you are worried about the peperoncini's affecting the entire salad, serve them on the side.

*You can use cherry or grape tomatoes in lieu of sun dried