Best Greek Pasta Salad

Greek pasta salad in a bowl with a wooden spoon lifting some out.

5 from 3 votes

This Greek pasta salad is super easy to make, a delicious medley of flavors and textures, and is great to make as a side dish or even a light lunch or dinner.

Prep Time25

Cook Time10

Total Time35

Servings:

Calories: 501kcal

Author: Karin and Ken

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

Recipe has been adapted from CooksIllustrated.com

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