Bursting with flavor and incredibly easy to put together, this Greek Pasta Salad has everything you’re looking for in a meal prep-friendly lunch or dinner. All you’ll need is a handful of high-quality ingredients and minutes of prep time to put this delicious and wholesome pasta salad together.
Enjoy it as a light meal, pack it for a potluck, or serve it as a side with your favorite grilled or baked proteins.
I’m a big fan of pasta salads. They’re super versatile and let you pack in lots of fresh ingredients, and are actually quite easy to make too.
On days when I don’t feel like doing too much, I stick to my classic pasta salad recipe, but when I’m in the mood for something more filling and protein-packed, I like to make my shrimp pasta salad, or this Mediterranean pasta salad.
Why You’ll Love This Mediterranean Pasta Salad Recipe
- Family friendly: With simple, subtle flavors, it is sure to be a hit with everyone in the family, even the kiddos.
- Big on flavor: The fresh, crisp veggies, the tangy, salty dressing and the creamy cheese all meld together beautifully to create a flavor-packed concoction.
- Versatile: With lots of swaps and flavor variations to try, this has to be a super versatile pasta salad recipe.
- Quick and easy: It literally takes a few minutes of prep time to put this filling and healthy pasta salad together.
Ingredients
- Pasta: Farfalle aka bowtie pasta is the best choice for this recipe, but if you can’t seem to find it, feel free to use any other kind of short pasta like rotini or penne.
- Veggies: Here’s your chance to get creative! I used lots of veggies including carrots, cucumbers, onions, cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, and even some shallots (in the salad dressing).
- Feta cheese: Feta cheese adds a beautiful creamy, salty, and tangy punch of flavor to this Mediterranean pasta salad. Whenever possible use feta in brine it's much better than the already crumbled feta cheese.
- Olives: Use pitted whole, sliced, or chopped olives here. They lend a delicious salty, tangy flavor to the salad. Kalamata olives are the best choice.
- Olive oil: Opt for extra virgin olive oil. This will form the base for the salad dressing.
- Vinegar: Vinegar, teamed up with olive oil, is a no-fail combination for a simple salad dressing. Use red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or your classic white vinegar.
- Lemon juice: For a bit of citrusy deliciousness, I also added some freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Mustard: For extra flavor, I also like to add a bit of mustard. Use your classic mustard or Dijon mustard if that’s what you prefer.
- Oregano: Use dried or fresh oregano- whatever you can get your hands on.
- Seasonings: To season, I just used some salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Feel free to play around with these and try your own variations.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Make it protein-rich: To make the salad protein-packed, swap your regular pasta for chickpea pasta or any protein-rich pasta of your choice.
- Make it meaty: Got some leftover rotisserie chicken? Chop it up and add it into the mix to make the salad a nice, wholesome meal.
- Swap the flavor maker: Capers can be a good swap to consider if you don’t have olives. They lend a nice briny tanginess to the salad, which is just what you need.
- Swap the pasta: Try it with orzo, cooked rice, quinoa, or farro to change things up.
- Add some chickpeas or lentils: A great way to add some protein but keep it vegetarian!
How to Make Greek Pasta Salad
Once you have everything ready, here’s what you’ll need to do to make this easy Greek pasta salad.
Step 1: Prep salad dressing. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the salad dressing and whisk well.
Step 2: Cook pasta. In a pot of salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Step 3: Combine. Add the veggies and salad dressing to the pasta, Crumble feta cheese and mix well.
Step 4: Chill and serve. Allow the pasta to chill for 15-20 minutes before you serve.
⭐ Hint: To bring a bit of heat to this Greek-style pasta salad recipe, add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes into the mix.
If you love recipes like this one, you may also enjoy my Mediterranean Rice Salad, Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad or our Philly Cheesesteak Pasta Recipe.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Got leftovers? Cover the bowl with cling wrap, poke some holes in it and refrigerate. The salad should stay fresh for up to 24 hours.
- Make Ahead: If you want to prep the salad ahead of time, consider storing the salad dressing and the other ingredients separately, in different containers, in the refrigerator and then assemble the salad when you want to serve it. You can prep the dressing 2-3 days ahead and the salad ingredients the day before.
Serving Suggestions
The beauty of this easy, refreshing pasta salad is the fact that you can enjoy it on its own, or team it up with any simple dish that needs a light side.
I personally love pairing it with a grilled or baked chicken dish, and I almost always make this as a side to go with my sous vide chicken or my baked caesar chicken or even with my chicken kabobs.
Recipe Tips
- Cook just right: Cook the pasta al dente. Overcooking will cause it to become mushy and soggy. Once the pasta is done cooking, drain the water and rinse it with cold water to stop cooking.
- Choose fresh: When picking veggies to add to your salad, choose ones that are ripe, fresh and crisp. Opt for English cucumbers as opposed to the regular ones, as they have a nice bit of snap.
- Experiment with mix-ins: Fresh and pickled veggies can the most obvious ones, but you can also try and experiment with other mix-ins like chopped herbs, Greek yogurt (if you prefer a creamy salad dressing) or pickled or roasted veggies like onions and bell peppers to bring in some more deliciousness.
Recipe FAQs
While you can use almost any kind of pasta for this recipe, I would recommend choosing a variety that has a lot of surface area to allow all the delicious flavors from the dressing to get soaked up. I love making Greek orzo pasta salad!
Yes, you can! Just make sure the pasta isn’t overcooked, and add it into the mix towards the end to help it hold its shape and structure.
No, it's not recommended as freezing will change the texture of the pasta and vegetables.
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More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Looking for more ways to enjoy pasta? Here are some of our favorites!
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Best Greek Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Greek Pasta Salad Dressing
- ¾ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice about 2 lemons
- 2 medium shallots minced
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 2 tblsp fresh oregano leaves, minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Salad
- 1 pound short pasta cooked
- 2 medium carrots peeled and grated
- 1 large sweet pepper cored, seeded, cut into strips
- 1-2 cups feta cheese crumbled
- 1 cup pitted olives chopped, whole or sliced
- ½ cup fresh parsley leaves minced
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup cucumber seeded (if desired) and sliced
- ½ cup purple onion sliced
Options
- 1 cup cooked chicken, rotisserie or leftover, shredded, diced or sliced
- 1 cup chickpeas
- 1 handful baby spinach or baby kale
Instructions
Greek Pasta Salad Dressing
- In a medium sized bowl, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, shallots, mustard, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Pasta
- Cook pasta until totally cooked according to package directions. Drain and place cooked pasta into a large bowl.
Salad
- Add carrots, peppers, cucumber, onions, feta, olives, and parsley. Toss with pasta. Add tomatoes and some feta, if desired, across the top of your salad.
To Serve
- When you are ready to serve, remove salad from fridge about 20 minutes before serving. If you prefer a salad that is room temperature, place the salad into another bowl and allow the salad to sit in that instead. Add just enough salad dressing to keep the salad moist.
Video
Notes
- Cook just right: Cook the pasta al dente. Overcooking will cause it to become mushy and soggy. Once the pasta is done cooking, drain the water and rinse it with cold water to stop cooking.
- Choose fresh: When picking veggies to add to your salad, choose ones that are ripe, fresh and crisp. Opt for English cucumbers as opposed to the regular ones, as they have a nice bit of snap.
- Experiment with mix-ins: Fresh and pickled veggies can the most obvious ones, but you can also try and experiment with other mix-ins like chopped herbs, Greek yogurt (if you prefer a creamy salad dressing) or pickled or roasted veggies like onions and bell peppers to bring in some more deliciousness.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in December 2019. It has been updated with new images and content.
Miley says
Family Loved this Salad Thank you for sharing
Karin and Ken says
As always you are most welcome! This salad is a favorite around here too! Enjoy your day! Karin
Tina says
Best dressing ever!!!! Thx
Karin and Ken says
I think so too! Hopefully you enjoyed the salad as well! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! That dressing is great for so many things. All the best. Karin
Rita says
My new favorite salad! Thank you. The dressing is amazing best Greek salad dressing I have ever had Am making this again later this week thank you
Karin and Ken says
Glad to hear you have found a new salad you enjoy! You can never have enough great salad recipes! I have a Greek Rice Salad and a Greek Lentil Salad on this site that you might want to try too if you love Greek Salads. I love them all. Regardless take care and enjoy the rest of your day! Karin