It was only last week that I was cooking a big pot of Spring minestrone, but the weather has flipped and today we are dining on a cold pasta salad instead! The weather has gone mental over here in a matter of hours. We went from 15° C (59° F) one day, to 23° C (73° F) the next and it’s meant to get progressively hotter (32° C / 89.6° F is forecasted for Tuesday) so I am suddenly much less keen on cooking.

This when I resort to my Greek summer habit of drinking ice-cold cappuccino freddo by the bucket load (this is how I make them at home as I don’t own the machine that most Greek cafes have) and doing as little actual cooking as I can. This Greek-inspired pasta salad featuring Greek staples such as orzo, tomatoes, olives, artichokes, lemons, quality olive oil and herbs is a perfect example of my minimal hot weather cooking. This pasta salad comes together super quickly and with minimal fuss, which is exactly what I am after when the weather is too good to spend it in the kitchen. It’s healthy, satiating and perfect if you are lucky enough to be planning a day at the beach, for example. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we have.

MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS

PASTA: Pasta makes this Greek pasta salad quick to prepare and more satiating. I used orzo pasta, but any small pasta shape will do. Cook it in plenty of lightly salted water, drain and cool before adding to the salad as otherwise the leafy elements (spinach and herbs) will wilt and the salad won’t be very appetising.

CHICKPEAS: Chickpeas are a fantastic source of plant protein so they make a great addition to this speedy Greek-inspired salad. If you don’t like chickpeas you could use while navy beans (cannellini beans) instead.

CHERRY TOMATOES: Sweet cherry tomatoes make this salad, I used a combination of red and yellow cherry toms but any type works. I would recommend against using big, juicy tomatoes in a salad like this – especially if you intend to store it – as their juices will water down the dressing and make the salad watery.

RED ONION: I am not a great fan of raw onions so I only used half a red onion diced very finely. If you like raw onions, you are welcome to use an entire onion.

OLIVES: Olives add a deliciously salty pops of flavour to this simple pasta salad. I went for juicy Kalamata olives as they are my favourite, but any types of olives works well. If you dislike olives, you could try roughly chopped capers instead.

ARTICHOKES: Charred artichokes are another flavour surprise in this simple salad. I used just over half a tub of artichokes that come preserved in olive as they have more flavour than the canned variety, but either one works. If you cannot get artichokes, why not use more olives or replace artichokes with marinated red peppers, for example.

HERBS: Most dishes are made infinitely better by the addition of fresh herbs. I used a handful of finely chopped basil and parsley to give this salad its summery Greek vibe, but dill or mint would also work nicely.

LEMON: Lemon zest and juice are used to make a simple lemon vinaigrette that ties all of the ingredients and distinct flavour nicely together.

OLIVE OIL: A good extra virgin olive oil makes the dressing extra special.