Herby, Garlicky Pasta Salad

Name: Herby, Garlicky Pasta Salad
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Tanzanian
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more for boiling the pasta; 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more for boiling the pasta; 2 cups (100 g) mixed herbs, ideally a combination of mint, dill, and parsley,* chopped; 2 cups (100 g) mixed herbs, ideally a combination of mint, dill, and parsley,* chopped; 2 cups (100 g) mixed herbs, ideally a combination of mint, dill, and parsley,* chopped; 2 cups (100 g) mixed herbs, ideally a combination of mint, dill, and parsley,* chopped; 2 cups (100 g) mixed herbs, ideally a combination of mint, dill, and parsley,* chopped; ¼ cup (40 g) pitted kalamata or Castelvetrano olives, roughly chopped; ¼ cup (40 g) pitted kalamata or Castelvetrano olives, roughly chopped; 2 cups (1 pint/290 g) cherry tomatoes, halved; ⅔ cup (165 ml) extra virgin olive oil; 8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped; 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes; 1 pound (455 g) dry fusilli or rotini pasta*; 1 pound (455 g) dry fusilli or rotini pasta*; 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 1 (7- ounce/200 g) block feta cheese, crumbled; Herbs, use arugula; Herbs, use arugula; za’atar, use 2 teaspoons dried oregano plus ½ teaspoon sesame seeds and ½ teaspoon sumac; za’atar, use 2 teaspoons dried oregano plus ½ teaspoon sesame seeds and ½ teaspoon sumac; za’atar, use 2 teaspoons dried oregano plus ½ teaspoon sesame seeds and ½ teaspoon sumac; za’atar, use 2 teaspoons dried oregano plus ½ teaspoon sesame seeds and ½ teaspoon sumac; Fusilli, use any other short pasta good for pasta salad; Fusilli, use any other short pasta good for pasta salad; Fusilli, use any other short pasta good for pasta salad; Honey, use maple syrup; Honey, use maple syrup

Preparation info

Serves
4 to 6

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
35 min

Appears in

Third Culture Cooking

By Zaynab Issa

Published 2025

About

One of the last vacations we took as a family of six (before my sisters got married) was to Greece, a trip I remember with the fondest nostalgia—partially for the free vacation, but mostly for the authentic Greek salad. I had never tasted something so simple and so delicious before. Culturally, I was accustomed to more elaborate dishes, so the idea that something had an ingredient list I could count on one hand and still be so delicious was foreign to me, an experience that exposed me to th

Ingredients

Sub-Saharan Africa
Tanzania
Starter
Gluten-free
Vegetarian

Ingredients

Method