Greek Pasta Salad
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Published Jul 05, 2023, Updated Aug 02, 2023
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This easy greek pasta salad is loaded with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives and feta cheese all tossed in a homemade greek dressing. It’s the perfect make ahead side for all your summer potlucks!
If you’re a greek salad fan, you’re going to love this greek pasta salad recipe! It has all the classic ingredients you’d want like tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, green bell pepper and feta cheese, but with the addition of pasta.
It’s the perfect salad to keep stocked in your fridge all summer long! It’s great for meal prep and can be served for lunch or dinner throughout the week, but also makes for an amazing make-ahead side dish to bring to all your summer cookouts.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Has all the classic flavors of traditional Greek salad, just with pasta making it more filling.
- Stores well in the fridge making it great for meal prep.
- It’s the perfect dish to make for all your summer BBQs and potlucks!
- Can be served as a side, but is also filling enough to enjoy as a full meal.
Ingredients Needed
- rotini pasta – I love using rotini pasta for this recipe because the spirals hold onto the dressing and other ingredients really well. However, you could use any short pasta shape you like, such as penne or bowtie.
- cherry tomatoes – these juicy tomatoes add a burst of sweetness and color. You can also use grape tomatoes if you prefer.
- red onion – gives the salad a punch of flavor and a bit of crunch.
- cucumber – adds a refreshing crunch. Feel free to use regular, English or Persian cucumbers.
- green bell pepper – provides a bit of bitterness that complements the other flavors. You can also use red or yellow bell peppers for a sweeter flavor if you prefer.
- kalamata olives – olives add that classic Mediterranean flavor. Kalamata olives are especially flavorful and add a touch of authenticity, but feel free to use black olives instead.
- fresh parsley – I love adding fresh herbs to my dishes whenever possible and fresh parsley pairs perfectly with the rest of the ingredients in this salad.
- crumbled feta – can’t have a Greek salad without feta cheese! This cheese adds a salty, tangy flavor that is irresistible. Feel free to use fresh feta cubes or crumbled feta.
- dressing – we’re making a homemade Greek salad dressing for this salad, which is made by blending (or whisking) together red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, oregano, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil.
How to Make
Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rotini pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
Make dressing: While the pasta is cooking, prepare the dressing. Add all the dressing ingredients to a blender and blend until everything is well combined and the dressing is smooth. If you don’t have a blender you could also mince the garlic and add all the ingredients to a mason jar, then shake or whisk really well to combine.
Put it all together: In a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, green bell pepper, olives, fresh parsley and feta cheese. Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and gently toss to make sure everything is evenly coated.
Enjoy: Taste the salad and add additional salt and pepper if needed. You can serve the salad immediately or let it chill in the refrigerator before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.
Substitutions & Notes
- Gluten-free: Need to make this pasta salad gluten-free? Use brown rice pasta or legume pasta for a boost of protein! My favorite gluten-free pasta options are this Banza rotini chickpea pasta and Barilla chickpea rotini pasta.
- Dairy-free: Skip the feta cheese or use vegan feta cheese like this Follow Your Heart dairy-free vegan crumbles or VIOLIFE Just Like Feta Block.
- Add protein: To make this salad more hearty and filling, consider adding shredded chicken, grilled chicken or chickpeas.
- Dressing: For a shortcut use a store-bought Greek dressing, just be mindful of the ingredients as many store-bought dressings are loaded with unnecessary sugars and ingredients. This Primal Kitchen Greek Vinaigrette seems like a good store-bought option.
- Veggies: Want to swap some of the veggies? Go for it! Yellow onion, red or yellow bell pepper, zucchini, baby spinach and broccoli would all be great additions to this salad!
- Olives: Not a fan of kalamata olives? Use black or green olives instead! You could also skip the olives altogether and add roasted red peppers or artichoke hearts instead.
What to Serve With This Greek Pasta Salad
Like I mentioned earlier, this salad would pair perfectly with just about any protein and would be a great addition to your summer BBQ’s or potlucks. Here are some serving ideas:
- Burgers: serve this pasta salad as a side with burgers like these black bean burgers, tempeh burgers, turkey burgers or salmon burgers.
- Chicken: this salad would be delicious served as a side with chicken or with chicken added to the salad. Some ideas: apple cider vinegar chicken, air fryer chicken breast, shredded chicken.
- Salmon: blackened salmon, air fryer salmon, balsamic glazed salmon, maple glazed salmon.
- Other sides: if you’re looking to serve this greek pasta salad at a summer potluck here are some additional sides you could serve it alongside: grilled sweet potatoes, fruit salad with mint, black bean and corn salad, mexican street corn salad and blueberry crumble.
How to Store
This salad stores really well in the fridge making it great for meal prep!
To make it in advance: You can prep the salad the night before and let it chill in the fridge until serving. Just like most pasta salads, it gets better as it sits!
To store leftovers: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
More Healthy Summer Salads
- Lemon Orzo Salad
- Ranch Pasta Salad
- Chicken Fajita Pasta Salad
- Healthy Potato Salad
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Low-Carb Cauliflower Potato Salad
- Vegan Pesto Pasta Salad
- Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
- Classic Broccoli Salad
- Poppy Seed Chicken Pasta Salad
- Roasted Tomato Salad
- Kale and Cabbage Pad Thai Salad
Be sure to check out all of the pasta salad recipes as well as the full collection of salad recipes on EBF!
Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 16 oz rotini pasta
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (about 2 cups)
- ½ red onion, chopped
- 1 cucumber, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives or black olives , drained and halved
- ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- ⅔ cup crumbled feta
Greek Dressing
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- While pasta is cooking, make dressing by adding red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic cloves, dijon mustard, oregano, salt, pepper and oil to a blender. Blend until combined and smooth.
- Add drained and cooled pasta to a large bowl with tomatoes, onion, cucumber, bell pepper, olives, parsley and feta cheese.
- Add dressing on top and gently toss to coat. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve right away or place in the fridge to chill before serving. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is so yummy and fresh tasting! I used chickpea pasta (to up my protein) and my husband and I really enjoyed it.
YUM! Sounds so delicious. Glad you’re loving this salad, Kathie. Thank you for your review & star rating, I so appreciate it!