Greek Pasta Salad
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This simple Greek Pasta Salad recipe paired with a homemade dressing is fresh, bright, and filling. It’s a perfect contribution for your next potluck or for your dinner table on a busy weeknight.
Easy Greek Pasta Salad Recipe
I’m so excited to share this recipe! This is a combination of some of my favorite things. Greek salad and pasta? Sign me up! Whether you serve this to guests or to your family, one thing is for sure. You won’t have to worry much about leftovers!
The hardest part about this recipe is just chopping up your veggies. Have the pasta boil while you chop away, then all you have to do is mix everything together! It’s so simple. I love pasta salads and I’m always looking for new ways to switch them up and try something new. This one is definitely a winner!
Greek Pasta Salad Highlights
- Easy To Make. You can easily make this salad even as a beginner cook. All you need are a few fresh ingredients.
- Ideal Potluck Item. Bring this to your next potluck and it is sure to be a huge hit.
- Delicious. What a great combination of fresh summer veggies, an incredible Greek dressing, penne pasta all combined together to make the most perfect pasta salad.
I kept this salad nice and basic. Greek salad is very consistent across the board with the veggies typically used and they work so well together!
- Penne – Make sure to rinse your pasta well with cold water after you strain it. This will cool it down to an appropriate temperature for the salad, and also prevent the noodles from sticking together.
- Cucumbers – I used mini cucumbers but english cucumbers will also work.
- Cherry tomatoes – I found these beautiful mini heirloom tomatoes which made the salad look colorful! You can use regular cherry or grape tomatoes instead.
- Bell pepper – I used a green bell pepper for this recipe but any type will work.
- Kalamata olives – I found a jar of pitted and halved olives which made prep much easier. French black, Gaeta, or California black olives will work as well.
- Red onion – You can use a more mild yellow or white onion if you prefer. If you don’t like raw onion, you can blanch them by placing the sliced onions in a strainer and pouring boiling water over them. Rinse with cold water and they will taste much more tame.
For The Greek Salad Dressing
- Red wine vinegar – This ingredient is a must in your pantry if it’s not already there! It adds such a wonderful flavor to salads. I love to make simple vinaigrettes with it.
- Olive oil – You can also use mild flavored oils such as safflower, walnut, or grape-seed.
- Garlic powder – You can use some fresh minced garlic if you prefer.
- Oregano – I used fresh oregano because it complimented the veggies so well. If you have dried oregano at home that will also work.
- Salt and pepper – Season to taste. I like to top my salad with fresh cracked pepper as garnish.
- Lemon Juice – Just a couple tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Cook the pasta. Boil the pasta according to package instructions. After you strain the pasta, rinse it well with cold water from the tap until it has cooled completely. Set it aside in a large bowl.
- Prep the veggies. Slice all the veggies into bite-sized pieces. I like to have the olives halved but you can keep them whole. I have both cubed and crumbled feta in the salad to make sure every bite is a bit cheesy. Place all the ingredients in the large bowl with the cooled pasta.
- Make the Greek salad dressing. Add all the dressing ingredients to a mason jar and shake well until everything is mixed well. Pour over the salad, and mix everything together well.
- Finish the salad. Garnish with a sprinkle of oregano, crumbled feta, and some freshly cracked pepper.
What Is A Greek Salad?
This crisp and refreshing salad is traditionally made with cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, kalamata olives, and feta cheese. It’s dressed with a red wine vinaigrette herbed with fresh oregano.
If we get really true to Greek roots here, this salad would be served with a slice of feta on top rather than mixed in. For ease of serving this salad to a crowd, we typically see the cheese crumbled or cubed in North America.
What Type Of Pasta Can I Use?
Any small shape will work for this recipe. Try out rotini, rigatoni, shells, farfalle, orzo, or even your favorite flavor of tortellini. If you come across some fun shapes like scoobi doo (yes, that’s a real thing) or gimelli then feel free give those a try! You can also make this salad with quinoa or bulgur to add extra nutrition.
What Other Ingredients Can I Use In This Recipe?
Want to turn this recipe into a meal? Slice up some chicken, steak, or even cooked and crumbled ground meat of your choice. If you want to keep it vegetarian and add some protein, try out cubed firm tofu or you can add rinsed canned beans. Black beans, chickpeas, or kidney beans would all taste awesome!
Can You Make Greek Pasta Salad Ahead Of Time?
If you are making this salad a few hours or even a couple days ahead of time you can mix all the ingredients together, but leave the Greek salad dressing aside until you’re ready to serve. I like to keep in in a mason jar so I can give it a good shake right before pouring it over the salad.
How To Serve
I might be a bit biased, but I think this pasta salad goes with pretty much any meal. Try it alongside these recipes:
- Greek Meatballs
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Beef Brisket Gyros
- Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork
- Roast Chicken
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
Expert Tips
- You can also make this salad with quinoa or bulgur to add extra nutrition.
- This homemade Greek salad dressing is not only miles better than what you’ll find in a bottle, but it’s also very simple. However, you can also use store bought if you prefer or if that’s what you have on hand.
- Don’t be afraid to use different pasta shapes, and it will taste just as good.
Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. If the pasta absorbs too much of the dressing, you can refresh it with a splash of each olive oil and red wine vinegar.
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this recipe. As the veggies and pasta thaw, they will become very soggy and will fall apart. This is a recipe best enjoyed fresh!
Other Delicious Salads To Try
- Greek Salad
- Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad
- Easy Coleslaw Recipe
- Fattoush Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Macaroni Salad
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Chicken Ranch Pasta Salad
- Antipasto Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- BLT Pasta Salad
- Southwest Pasta Salad
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne (uncooked, or any other pasta of your choice)
- 2 cups cucumber (chopped)
- 2 cups grape tomatoes (halved)
- 1 green bell pepper (chopped)
- ½ cup olives (such as Kalamata olives, pitted and halved)
- ½ red onion (chopped)
- ½ cup feta cheese (crumbled)
Dressing
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Boil the pasta according to package instructions. After you strain the pasta, rinse it well with cold water from the tap until it has cooled completely. Set it aside in a large bowl.
- Prep the veggies: Slice all the veggies into bite-sized pieces. I like to have the olives halved but you can keep them whole. I have both cubed and crumbled feta in the salad to make sure every bite is a bit cheesy. Place all the ingredients in the large bowl with the cooled pasta.
- Make the Greek salad dressing: Add all the dressing ingredients to a mason jar and shake well until everything is mixed well. Pour over the salad, and mix everything together well.
- Finish the salad: Garnish with a sprinkle of oregano, crumbled feta, and some freshly cracked pepper.
Video
Notes
- You can also make this salad with quinoa or bulgur to add extra nutrition.
- This homemade Greek salad dressing is not only miles better than what you’ll find in a bottle, but it’s also very simple. However, you can also use store bought if you prefer or if that’s what you have on hand.
- Don’t be afraid to use different pasta shapes, and it will taste just as good.
- Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing this salad as the veggies and pasta will get soggy and fall apart after thawing.
- Leftovers: To store leftovers in the refrigerator, place the salad in an airtight container and refrigerate up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Jo cooks is my go too sight tbh. Haven’t been disappiinted yet. ❤️
Thank you so much, I appreciate your kind comment.
We make this salad quite regularly. My husband loves it in his lunch and is always a favourite at gatherings. Makeing ahead makes things easier and gives it a day for the flavours to mingle. The ingredients are things we personally always have on hand. 5 stars and so easy. I use rotini pasta but again pasta of all types is always in my pantry so I wouldn’t worry too much..use what you have.
Thank you for the 5-star rating and for highlighting the ease of this recipe. It’s always a joy to share recipes that are not only delicious but also simple to prepare. Your feedback means a lot to me, and I’m thrilled to have contributed to your culinary adventures.
This recipe is best with radiatore pasta, instead of penne. The grooves catch flavor. Also don’t rinse the starch off the pasta, just splash with cool water to stop it from cooking. The starch on the pasta helps to hold onto the dressing. I add artichoke hearts, but not everyone loves them. Make sure that you use greek kalamata olives for the best taste. I always use English cucumbers, which have almost no seeds, and I peel half of the skin. I have served this with grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, chicken, fish, lamb, and roasted vegetables. I never have any leftovers, so make a double batch if you want some for the family after the BBQ is over. Simple hack: take the tops of two plastic tops of take out containers, and put your grape tomatoes in the middle, then take a sharp, serrated knife and cut them in half. You dan do the same with the kalamata olives to save yourself time. For the cukes, cut them lengthwise, then turn a quarter turn and cut them lengthwise again. Now cut them into quarters – takes about 30 seconds. Also, don’t be cheap with the feta. This is simple, fast, and delicious..Make a few hours ahead of time to let the flavors blend.
Made this for dinner with friends. It was delicious that night and even better the next day. As with all of your recipes, the directions were easy to follow and the description of the finished dish was right on. I will be making this all summer!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this, Elizabeth!
Love the Greek salad recipe. How long will the Homemade Greek dressing keep refrigerated?…..thanks. Chris
It will keep up to a week.
Like many of us, I have more than enough recipes comiing from many cooking websites. Jo Cooks is by far, my favorite. Decided to drop many of the others, keeping only a favorite few, including yours. Ordered your new cookbook too. Thanks.
Thank you so much, Christian. I really appreciate your support!
This is my go-to when hubby has a pot luck at work! One time, I made something different and while it was good, everyone was disappointed that the greek pasta didn’t make an appearance. :0)
Hi Jo………….I notice that there’s lemon juice in the pic of ingredients, but no mention of it in the dressing……….maybe I missed it ……….I assume it will be a couple of tsp. ?
I make most of your recipes and love, love, love them all !!😍
Oops, nope, it should be there. Recipe has been fixed. You need a couple tablespoons of lemon juice. 🙂