This Greek Pasta Salad is loaded with fresh veggies, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and a greek dressing for a perfect summer side dish. It’s light, and fresh, and perfect served at a backyard barbecue.
This salad is packed with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, kalamata olives, and feta cheese – giving it the same great flavors as a traditional Greek Salad. With the added pasta noodles its a little more substantial making it a good option on it’s own for a light lunch or dinner, or for a hearty side dish. It’s coated in a flavorful vinaigrette dressing, that is to die for and gives this salad the best fresh flavor.
It’s loaded with plenty of fresh veggies, tender pasta, creamy feta cheese, and a homemade greek dressing giving it so much delicious flavor, it will be one of your favorite things you eat this summer.
With the light vinaigrette dressing and fresh garden vegetables, this pasta salad is so fresh, and tasty. I love it paired with some grilled chicken, or steak, or some cheeseburgers.
Greek pasta salad is a perfect side dish option for serving at a summer picnic, potluck dinner, or backyard barbecue. It’s great for serving at a Memorial Day or Fourth of July picnic. You might also love this Potato Salad.
Greek Pasta Salad Ingredients:
This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Greek pasta salad recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- pasta noodles – any medium sized noodles work great, but I like rotini pasta or bowtie pasta cause they hold the dressing nicely
- kalamata olives
- red onion
- small tomatoes – cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes work great
- cucumbers
- feta cheese – crumbled or a block of feta diced works great
- parsley
For the Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing Ingredients:
- olive oil
- red wine vinegar
- fresh lemon juice
- dijon mustard
- honey
- minced garlic
- dried oregano
- sea salt
- black pepper
How to make Green Pasta Salad?
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Make sure to add about 1 teaspoon of salt to the pasta water while it cooks. Then drain out the water and rinse the pasta in cold water to cool it down. Chop up and prepare all your vegetables.
- Add the pasta, chopped up vegetables, and feta to a large bowl
- and toss it together.
- Whisk the ingredients together for the homemade dressing.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta, and toss it all together.
- Store the pasta salad in the fridge for about 30 minutes, up to overnight before serving. Toss the salad again before serving.
Tips and Tricks:
- Make sure to salt the water the pasta is cooking in, otherwise the flavors of the salad will get muted with the cold pasta.
- I prefer cooking my noodles just past al dente for this salad. This keeps them from being too crunchy, but not too soft either, so they have a good texture, and don’t get too soft after soaking up all of that delicious dressing.
- Swap the pasta for some tortellini for a more filling dish.
- Add some additional vegetables to the pasta salad to make it even more hearty. Some of my favorites are red peppers, artichoke hearts, black olives, etc.
- If you typically find that red onion has a little too much bite, you can first soak it in a bowl of cold water with a pinch of salt, for about 10 minutes. Drain the water out then add it to the salad. This will mellow out the bite just enough, but keep their yummy flavor.
- Serve this easy Greek pasta salad as a main course, by adding some chopped up grilled chicken.
- Instead of red wine vinegar, you can also try balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar in the dressing.
How to store?
This salad will store well in the fridge in an airtight container or ziptop bag for up to 5 days. This makes it a perfect make ahead option, or a great option for lunches all week long.
This Greek pasta salad recipe is going to be on repeat at our house all summer long. It’s delicious, fresh, and so easy to make.
More Pasta Salad Recipes:
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Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Greek Pasta Salad:
- 16 oz medium pasta (rotini, bowtie, penne, etc.)
- 1 cup English or Persian cucumbers (sliced and cut into halves, or fourths)
- 1 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup Kalamata olives (halved and pitted)
- 1/3 cup diced red onion
- 1/2 cup feta (crumbled or diced)
For the Red Wine Vinaigrette:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 TBS fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 TBS honey
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water, and about 1 teaspoon of salt, and bring it to boil. Boil the pasta according to the package directions, for just longer than al dente. Drain the pasta, and rinse it with cold water. Set it aside.
- Slice all the vegetables into bite sized pieces .
- Add the pasta, veggies, and feta to a large bowl and fold it together until evenly combined.
For the Red Wine Vinaigrette:
- Add all the vinaigrette ingredients to a jar or small bowl and whisk them together until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and mix everything together well.
- Place the salad in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill, and help the flavors meddle.
- Toss the salad together again before serving. Top with fresh parsley, if desired.
Nutrition
Ellen Garrett says
I made this Greek pasta salad for dinner tonight and loved it. The vinaigrette was so good, perfect with everything else. I add salami slices to make it a main dish, a great combination.