Greek Pasta Salad
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Fresh, vibrant, and bursting with bold Mediterranean flavors, this Greek Pasta Salad recipe is the ultimate side dish for summer BBQs, potlucks, or easy weeknight meals! Made with tender pasta, juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, tangy feta, and briny olives, all tossed in a zesty homemade Greek salad dressing, this salad is light, refreshing, and comes together in just 20 minutes.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Inspired by the popularity of my Greek Quinoa Salad and Greek Orzo Salad, I created this Greek Pasta Salad. Similar to the first two, but with it’s own unique spin, this pasta salad is easy to make and delicious. I love it and here’s why I know you’ll love it too!
- It’s full of flavor! This recipe is certainly not lacking in the flavor department. From the juicy tomatoes, to the lemon herb dressing, to the salty feta cheese, this pasta salad has the perfect balance of flavors creating a salad that tastes amazing!
- It’s easy to make. You only need 20 minutes to whip up this pasta salad. While that pasta boils, dice up the veggies and prepare the dressing. When the pasta is ready, toss it all together. Easy breezy!
- It’s a great make-ahead side dish. Whether you’re hosting a bbq, or attending a party and need a side to bring, this pasta salad is perfect. You can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge up to 24 hours in advance!
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this Greek pasta salad recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Pasta – I used rotini for this recipe, but any small pasta shape would work. You could use macaroni noodles, small shells, farfalle, or penne pasta. To make this recipe gluten free, use a small gluten-free pasta noodle. The other ingredients in this recipe are naturally gluten free.
- Olive oil – a good quality extra virgin olive oil is preferred for this recipe.
- Red onion
- Green bell pepper – red, yellow or orange bell peppers can also be used.
- Garlic – cloves of garlic, minced fresh, are preferred over jarred garlic for the best flavor.
- Red wine vinegar
- Lemon juice – I recommend fresh squeezed for the best flavor!
- Fresh mint
- Dried oregano – if using fresh oregano, be sure to double the amount used in the recipe.
- Salt and black pepper – to season the salad dressing.
- Cherry tomatoes
- Kalamata olives
- Cucumber – I recommend using an English cucumber. The skin is thin so you don’t have to peel it before dicing it up. It also contains less seeds than other varieties of cucumber, which means it won’t add too much liquid to the salad with watery seeds.
- Feta cheese – omit this ingredient to make the salad vegan.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
You’ll want to start this recipe by boiling a large pot of salted water and cooking the pasta according to the package directions. While the water boils and the pasta cooks, prepare the rest of the recipe as instructed below.
- Soften veggies for the dressing. Heat olive oil in a small skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add minced onion and bell pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Prepare the salad dressing. In a large bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon juice and red wine vinegar with fresh chopped mint, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Add the cooked onion, pepper and garlic. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Add diced veggies to the dressing. Dice up the cucumber, slice the olives and quarter the cherry tomatoes, then add them to the large bowl with the prepared salad dressing.
- Add the pasta to the bowl. Toss the salad to combine everything. Serve immediately topped with crumbled feta cheese, or store in the fridge for up to 24 hours before serving. I recommend only topping with the feta cheese right before serving.
This pasta salad can be served hot or cold. If you want to serve it cold, after draining the pasta rinse it under cold water, then toss it with the salad. Place the salad in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
Optional additions
To turn this side salad into a main course, I recommend adding chickpeas, grilled chicken, salmon, or shrimp.
- If adding chickpeas, drain and rinse a 15 ounce can of chickpeas and add them directly to the salad with the cooked pasta.
- If adding chicken, check out this recipe for grilled Marinated Greek Chicken. The delicious lemon herb marinade will pair perfectly with this salad! You can also make this tasty stovetop Lemon Pepper Chicken to go on top in just 20 minutes.
- If adding salmon, I recommend my all-time favorite Balsamic Glazed Salmon for topping this salad.
- If adding shrimp, check out this recipe for Mediterranean shrimp. It’s tossed in a lemon oregano sauce and I guarantee it will be delicious added to this Greek orzo salad!
Some of my other favorite ingredients to add to this salad are capers, zucchini, and sun dried tomatoes. You can add any of these ingredients to the salad at the same time you add the pasta.
What to serve it with
This Greek pasta salad is the perfect side dish to pair with everything from a Greek feast to a backyard BBQ. Try it with any of these recipes!
Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry rotini pasta, you could also use macaroni, small shells, or penne pasta
- 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- ¼ cup red onion, minced
- ¼ cup green bell pepper, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
- ¼ cup kalamata olives, sliced
- ½ cup cucumber, diced
- ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil on the stove. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and set aside to cool.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper, cook for 2-3 minutes
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Combine the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, mint, oregano, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk well, then add the cooked onion, bell pepper and garlic.
- Add the tomatoes, olives, cucumber and cooked pasta to the dressing. Toss to combine. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 24 hours before serving.
- Top with the feta cheese just before serving.
Notes
- This recipe serves 4 people as a side dish. If you want to make it for a large party or BBQ, I recommend doubling or tripling the recipe.
- Pasta salad leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eaten within 5 days.
Nutrition Facts
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