Greek Pasta Salad

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Greek Pasta Salad is loaded with tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, red onion, green pepper, and plenty of feta cheese. A delicious and bright Greek-inspired vinaigrette coats this salad.

Pair this delicious pasta salad with some marinated and grilled Greek Chicken or Greek Meatballs. And if you’re looking for a healthier alternative to pasta, be sure to try this Greek Quinoa Salad next.

Bowl of greek pasta salad filled with colorful vegetables, olives, and feta cheese, ready to be savored.

Greek Pasta Salad

Greek Pasta Salad is fresh, light, flavorful, and filled with veggies. It’s the perfect dish for when the weather is hot and you need something that won’t heat up the kitchen.

With the light vinaigrette and all the fresh garden veggies, this is a salad that will leave you feeling refreshed and energized. And while I’m all for those pasta salads that are loaded with mayo (hello, creamy Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad!), it’s nice to have a pasta salad that doesn’t leave you feeling a little blah after eating it.

QUICK TIP

 Cook the pasta al dente. Since the pasta sits in dressing, it can get soggy if overcooked. Pasta also gets a little firmer when served cold, so don’t undercook it! I cook it right to the package directions of what al dente is (for miniature farfalle, that is 7 minutes).  

Greek vinaigrette dressing being mixed together by shaking in a mason jar for the recipe.

Ingredients Needed

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

  1. Pasta: This forms the base of the greek pasta salad, providing texture and bulk. We love using mini farfalle.
  2. Vegetables:
    • Kalamata Olives, Red Onion, English/Persian Cucumbers, Cherry Tomatoes, Green Bell Pepper: These add a mix of flavors, textures, and colors to the salad. They contribute freshness, crunchiness, and variety.
    • Parsley: Offers a fresh, herbaceous flavor and a pop of green color.
  3. Feta Cheese: Adds a creamy, salty element to the salad, contrasting with the freshness of the vegetables.

DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

  1. Olive Oil: Acts as the main liquid base for the dressing, providing richness and helping to bind other ingredients together.
  2. Flavor Enhancers:
    • Lemon Juice, Honey, Dijon Mustard, Minced Garlic, Dried Oregano: These contribute to the balance of sweetness, tanginess, spice, and aromatic depth in the dressing.
  3. Red Wine Vinegar: Provides acidity, which brightens up the flavors and balances the oiliness in this greek pasta salad.
 

Bowl filled with all the components of greek pasta salad - pasta, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, and feta, awaiting mixing.

How To Make Greek Pasta Salad

It’s as simple as this:

  1. Boil Pasta: Cook al dente, drain, cool.
  2. Prep Veggies: Halve olives/tomatoes, dice onion/pepper, cut cucumbers, mince parsley, cube feta.
  3. Make Dressing: Shake together olive oil, lemon juice, honey, Dijon, garlic, oregano, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a jar.
  4. Assemble: Mix pasta, veggies, dressing. Add feta. Chill 30-60 mins.
  5. Serve: Toss and adjust seasoning.

QUICK TIP

Take away the bite of red onion: If you’re sensitive to the flavor of raw red onion, soak the diced onions in salted ice water for 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly before adding to the salad.

Dressing being poured generously over the assembled salad ingredients.

Bowl of greek pasta salad, displaying a vibrant mix of ingredients with dressing added.

STORAGE

Other Delicious Pasta Salads:

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Greek Pasta Salad

5 from 20 votes
Greek Pasta Salad is loaded with tomatoes, cucumbers, Kalamata olives, red onion, green pepper, and plenty of feta cheese. A delicious and lush Greek-inspired vinaigrette coats this salad.
Bowl of greek pasta salad filled with colorful vegetables, olives, and feta cheese, ready to be savored.
Print Recipe

Greek Pasta Salad

Bowl of greek pasta salad filled with colorful vegetables, olives, and feta cheese, ready to be savored.
5 from 20 votes
Greek Pasta Salad is loaded with tomatoes, cucumbers, Kalamata olives, red onion, green pepper, and plenty of feta cheese. A delicious and lush Greek-inspired vinaigrette coats this salad.
Course Dinner, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian
Cuisine Greek
Keyword Greek Pasta Salad
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 -8 servings
Chelsea Lords
Calories 442kcal
Cost $5.86

Ingredients

Salad

  • 12 ounces pasta (I use mini farfalle)
  • ½ cup Kalamata olives halved and pitted
  • â…“ cup red onion diced
  • 2 cups English or Persian cucumbers cut into half moons
  • 2 cups (1 pint) cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup green bell pepper diced
  • ¼ cup parsley
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese cubed

Dressing

  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1.5 tablespoons honey
  • 1.5 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • ¾ teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¾ teaspoon salt + 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Instructions

  • PASTA: Bring water to a rolling boil and generously salt the water (See Note 1) before adding in the pasta. One tablespoon fine sea salt to about 16 cups of water is a good guide. Once salted, wait for the water to come back to a boil, and then add in all the pasta. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions (if using Barilla Mini Farfalle, this is 7 minutes). Drain and rinse in cold water until cool.
  • VEGGIES: Meanwhile, prep the veggies. Halve (and pit if needed) the olives, dice the red onion and green pepper (See Note 2), cut the cucumbers into half moons (See Note 3) and halve the cherry tomatoes. Mince the parsley and crumble or cut the feta into small cubes. Add all of these ingredients to a large bowl and then stir in the cooled pasta.
  • DRESSING: Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a glass jar. Shake thoroughly to combine, making sure no honey or Dijon is stuck on the bottom. Use a spoon to stir, and then shake again if needed. Refrigerate until ready to use. To serve, shake dressing again, right before adding to the salad and then drizzle over salad. Toss, add in feta, and toss again. Chill for 30 minutes to an hour before serving. At serving time, gently toss salad again and taste to adjust any seasonings as needed.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Pasta water: Even though the pasta will be tossed in the vinaigrette, if you haven't salted your pasta water, the salad will taste under-seasoned/bland. Seasoning the pasta water is how you flavor the pasta itself.
Note 2: Red onion: If you're sensitive to the flavor of raw red onion, soak the diced onions in ice water (with a pinch of salt) for 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly before adding to this salad.
Note 3: Cucumbers: Make sure to cut off and discard about 1 inch from both ends of an English cucumber; this part of the cucumber is very bitter.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8servings | Calories: 442kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 376mg | Potassium: 465mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 829IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 2mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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Recipe Rating




46 Comments

  1. Yum! This looks delicious and refreshing – perfect for those hot summer days when you really don’t want to turn on the oven. I love that the dressing is dairy-free, as I’m a big fan of lighter, oil/vinegar-based (rather than milk/cheese based) dressings on Greek salads. Looking forward to giving this a try!

  2. 5 stars
    Yum! This looks so refreshing! We’re going to Pittsburgh in about 10 days! And I’m so sorry about your movie. I can so relate though!

  3. Looks yummy! I so get what your saying. We lived in Missouri for awhile. Their Italian restaurant chain was so good. Haven’t found anything like it. Especially their salad! Yours looks great. I will definitely be trying.
    Thanks for sharing. I linked a Time To Sparkly too. My post is my ‘winging it’ cupcakes!
    Thanks for sharing your salad.
    Have a wonderful Wednesday,
    Sherry

  4. 5 stars
    Absolutely amazing! Love this salad. Perfect combination of flavors. Definitely a keeper! Thank you .

  5. This looks delicious! Can you use mozzarella instead of feta? Would that defeat the purpose of a greek salad? lol

  6. 5 stars
    This was fantastic I used wheat pasta for healthy reasons, but it was just awesome! The only thing I did differently was used : lemons, because I love lemons!!

  7. 5 stars
    Made this with chickpea pasta and no tomatoes (just not a fan) and it was so good! The flavors of all the mix-ins go so well together. My husband is not big on cold dishes and he even loved it!

  8. 5 stars
    Brought this to a family picnic Daughter just texted me that her family loved it and wants the recipe. I added a ear of cooked fresh corn. I used a 16 oz. rigitoni. Increased the olive oil to 1/2 c and red wine vinegar to 1/4 c.

  9. This is fantastic, especially the dressing. I recommend not rinsing the pasta and tossing it with the dressing right out of the pot!

  10. 5 stars
    Made this salad for my daughters baby shower I doubled it. The only thing I changed was a yellow and red pepper instead of a green pepper.

    It was a huge success.

    Thanks

  11. 5 stars
    Great recipe!! My family loved it and the dressing was so good. Made it fir the 4th of July and used yellow peppers instead of green which added more color, since the oarsely was already green!!
    Thanks for this recipe. Happy birthday America.

  12. 5 stars
    I made this with 3 grilled chicken breasts and used black olives. I have a big family and made 2 lbs of rotini, 2 cucumbers, and 2 pints of cherry tomatoes. I doubled the recipe for the dressing. It made 24 cups. I think I could’ve used 4 x’s the dressing recipe. The whole family (picky kids, too) LOVED it. It’s a perfect summer dish full of flavor.

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