Greek pasta salad is the perfect side dish for any occasion, made with cooked pasta, fresh veggies, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and homemade Greek salad dressing. We love to serve this pasta salad at a picnic or barbecue.
This pasta salad is colorful, full of flavor, and super easy to throw together. Your friends and family will love this pasta salad, it has been a family favorite for years, and we’re excited to share this easy and delicious recipe with you!
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Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Pasta- use any kind of your favorite pasta, we used farfalle pasta.
Bell pepper- we used orange bell pepper for this recipe. Any kind of bell pepper will work great.
Cucumber- use fresh cucumber for this recipe. Cut the cucumber into small pieces.c
Cherry tomatoes- we love using fresh Roma cherry tomatoes in cooking and for pasta salads. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
Red onion- cut the red onion into slices, then cut it into 4 pieces. If you don't have red onion, it's okay using white onion.
Kalamata olives- use your favorite brand of kalamata olives.
Feta cheese- we love to top our pasta salad with feta cheese. If you are vegan or dairy-free, feel free to skip the feta cheese.
For the greek salad dressing:
Olive oil– to make the salad dressing, we used olive oil. Canola oil or vegetable oil will work as well.
Red wine vinegar- use red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar.
Dijon mustard- you will need a teaspoon of dijon mustard for this recipe.
Lemon juice- use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
Spices– for spices, we used kosher salt, black pepper, and dried oregano.
Fresh garlic– use freshly grated garlic for the dressing.
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the salad dressing by mixing olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, minced garlic, dried oregano, salt, and pepper in a jar or a medium mixing bowl.
Step 2: Bring a large pot of salted water and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. drain and rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking process.
Step 3: In a big bowl, add the cooked pasta, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, red onion, chopped parsley, bell pepper, and feta cheese.
Step 4: Add the greek salad dressing on top and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Make the pasta in salted water. this will make sure that the pasta flavor isn't flat. add a generous amount of salt to the boiling water.
- Cook the pasta to al dente. to stop the pasta from turning soggy from the juices, cook the pasta al dente. this step will keep your pasta dish fresh and delicious.
- Rinse the pasta with cold water when it's ready! This step ensures that the pasta will remain al dente and won't continue to cook.
- Use fresh ingredients! this pasta salad is the perfect vegetarian dish for any occasion!
Faq's
This pasta salad will last for up to 5 days in the fridge, stored in an airtight container.
Yes! This pasta salad fits well with a lot of different flavors. You can serve it with Italian dressing, middle eastern dressing, lemon dressing, red wine dressing, etc.
Serve pasta salad at a picnic, barbecue, or party. This recipe fits any type of occasion. Serve this pasta salad next to your favorite protein, next to a grilled chicken, hamburger, tofu, etc.
Storing
Store this pasta salad in the fridge sealed tightly with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.
Substitutions
Vegan- It is very easy to make this recipe vegan, simply replace the feta cheese with vegan feta cheese, or don’t use cheese at all.
Whole grain- You can use any kind of your favorite pasta kinds and pasta shapes., like chickpea pasta, brown rice pasta, spinach pasta, quinoa pasta, etc.
Gluten-free- you can make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta. Simply follow the instructions as written. Also, replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Variations
Chicken- This recipe works great with chicken. Roast or cook chicken breast, seasoned with salt and pepper, then slice it into small slices and mix it with the pasta salad.
Seasoning- use your favorite variations of spices. Some of our favorites are Italian seasoning, everything bagel seasoning, paprika, onion powder, chili flakes, etc.
Make it in advance
To make this pasta salad in advance, pre-make the pasta a day or two ahead, cut the veggies a day or two ahead, and make the dressing a day or two ahead.
When ready to serve, throw the pasta, veggies, and dressing together, mix well, and serve!
Tools
- Mason jars- our favorite mason jars.
- Mixing bowls- our favorite mixing bowls ever.
More pasta recipes:
Tiktok Baked Feta Pasta- This baked feta pasta is incredibly delicious and easy to make. This pasta dish went viral in Finland, and because of this recipe, the grocery stores in Finland ran out of feta cheese.
Pesto pasta bake- This pesto pasta bake is a super delicious pasta dish that is made in under an hour and tastes like restaurant pasta!
Spinach Pasta Salad- This Spinach Pasta Salad is made with fresh spinach, feta, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and freshly made pasta combined together with a simple homemade salad dressing that makes the perfect refreshing and filling summery pasta salad.
If you tried this recipe, don’t forget to leave a rating and a comment below. We love hearing from you.
If you liked this recipe:
📖 Recipe
Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the pasta salad:
- 450 g Cooked pasta
- 2 Cucumbers
- 15 Cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup Red onion
- 150 g Feta cheese
- 1 Bell pepper
- ¼ cup Fresh parsley
- ⅔ cup Kalamata olives
Greek salad dressing:
- ½ cup Olive oil
- ¼ cup Red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 Garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon Dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
Instructions
- Prepare the salad dressing by mixing olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, minced garlic, dried oregano, salt, and pepper in a jar or a medium mixing bowl.
- Bring a large pot of salted water and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. drain and rinse the pasta with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- In a big bowl, add the cooked pasta, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, red onion, chopped parsley, bell pepper, and feta cheese.
- Add the greek salad dressing on top and mix with a wooden spoon until combined. Serve and enjoy!
Amy says
This pasta salad is super yummy and filling! I love the dressing too!