Cold pasta with melon and feta is a summer main course with a very unique taste, a quick recipe that requires no cooking other than the pasta. Cold pasta with melon and feta combines two flavors that are very far apart: melon, with its sweetness and softness, and feta, with its distinctly salty and slightly tangy note, which balance perfectly and make this pasta salad tasty and special. Cold pasta with melon and feta is completed with a bit of freshly ground pepper, which gives the dish the right kick, and a few leaves of mint, to enhance its freshness.
When flipping through an old issue of a cooking magazine, I came across the recipe for this pasta salad with melon and feta and was immediately struck by both the unique pairing, which seemed just right even in thought, and especially the idea of freshness that visually communicated to me. Cold pasta with melon and feta, in fact, is not only very good but also a cheerful and colorful dish that will look great on your summer table!
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
- Energy 345.54 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 35.80 (g) of which sugars 7.29 (g)
- Proteins 11.11 (g)
- Fat 18.10 (g) of which saturated 6.42 (g)of which unsaturated 2.40 (g)
- Fibers 2.45 (g)
- Sodium 734.70 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 11 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Cold Pasta with Melon and Feta
- 12.7 oz pasta (I used gluten-free farfalle)
- 12.3 oz melon (net weight after removing rind and seeds)
- 5.3 oz feta
- A few leaves mint
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste coarse salt
- to taste pepper
Tools
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pot
- 1 Colander
- 1 Salad Bowl
How to Prepare Melon and Feta Pasta Salad
For the English version of this recipe click here!
As I said, preparing cold pasta with melon and feta is extremely easy and quick, and you can prepare the dressing in the time it takes for the pasta to cook. Boil the pasta in plenty of salted water, drain it al dente, and immediately season it with a tablespoon of oil.
While the pasta is cooking, peel the melon, remove the seeds, slice it, and weigh about 12.3 oz. Chop it into fairly small cubes (1). Cut the feta into cubes of the same size (2).
Mix the two ingredients with the pasta and season with 3 more tablespoons of oil, a pinch of pepper, and a few mint leaves (3).
Do not add more salt, as feta is already sufficiently salty. Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
You can serve cold pasta with melon and feta for a summer lunch or take it to the office or beach in a cooler bag!
Storage
You can store the pasta salad with feta and melon in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
Tips and Variations
For this recipe, you can use any short pasta shape you like: I find farfalle to be perfect for pasta salads, but you can also use fusilli, penne, mezze penne, or mezze maniche.
If you don’t like the taste of Greek feta, you can replace it with another cheese, such as mozzarella, primo sale, or salted ricotta (or cacio ricotta).
