Greek Pasta Salad is loaded with vegetables & drizzled with an incredible homemade vinaigrette dressing! Fresh, flavorful pasta salad with delicious Greek seasonings that everyone enjoys!
Greek flavors are pretty popular in everything from chicken to salads, and this pasta salad is no different. Make this recipe for Greek pasta salad and watch how fast it disappears, the dressing is made from scratch and complements every last bite of this filling side dish.
The Best Greek Pasta Salad
My husband and I both adore Greek food. I adapted this recipe from a different salad recipe on our site that uses quinoa in place of pasta. I love both versions, but there is something about a good pasta salad that I just love in the summertime. This recipe for Greek Pasta Salad fits the bill! I also added a bit of lemon juice to the vinaigrette, which tastes just wonderful. The pasta is perfect when topped with crumbled feta cheese and a few additional olives. Give it a try, we hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Why You’ll Love This Easy Pasta Salad Recipe
- It’s easy to make! We use a lot of great ingredients in this Greek pasta salad recipe to make it taste truly perfect. From the feta cheese, to the fresh cucumber and kalamata olives in every scoop, you’ll adore everything this dish has to offer.
- It’s deliciously vegetarian. With no meats added to this dish, it’s perfectly fine to serve up to vegetarian guests, but you can always go an extra step and add in some cooked chicken to turn this simple side dish into a filling meal.
- You can prep it in advance. While I don’t recommend mixing all of the ingredients together too far in advance, you can prepare the veggies and the dressing and keep them separate so that when it’s time to serve, all you have to do is mix it all together and scoop the easy greek pasta salad onto serving plates.
Feta Cheese Pasta Salad Ingredients
Pasta: You will need 1 pound of cooked, drained, and cooled bowtie pasta noodles to assemble this salad. Note, any type of short pasta noodle can be used instead.
Tomatoes: Add in 1 pint of halved cherry tomatoes for vibrant red color and refreshing, tangy taste in every bite.
Cucumber: You will want 1 chopped cucumber to add to your salad. You can peel it or leave it with the skins depending on your preference.
Onion: Adding ½ cup of thinly sliced red onion will give this pasta dish a lot more flavor.
Olives: Kalamata olives are very popular in Greek and Mediterranean diets. You will want ½ cup of pitted and halved kalamata olives (drained of all liquids).
Bell pepper: Add in ½ cup of diced bell pepper. You can use red or green bell peppers for this (or a mixture of both).
Feta cheese: A full 4 ounce container of plain crumbled feta cheese will be perfect for this recipe.
Greek Pasta Salad Dressing
Red wine vinegar: The base of the dressing is ⅔ cup of red wine vinegar, which adds a lot of wonderful flavor.
Olive oil: Use ½ cup of olive oil to help spread the dressing ingredients around and get them to coat the salad well.
Lemon juice: You will need 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to really make the dressing fresh and perfect in taste.
Seasonings: For seasoning the dressing, you will want 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, dried oregano, and dried basil.
Salt and pepper: Use 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt to make this dish well flavored.
Sugar: You’ll just need ½ teaspoon of sugar to help cut the acidic taste in the dressing to make it more palatable.
How to Make Greek Pasta Salad
Dressing
In a dressing jar or regular mason jar, combine the red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, all three seasonings, plus the salt and pepper, and the sugar. Proceed to put the lid on the jar and shake the ingredients to combine well.
Place the dressing in the refrigerator to chill until ready to use.
Pasta
Proceed to cook the pasta per the package instructions. Then rinse pasta with cold water, toss with a splash of olive oil and place it in a large bowl in the fridge until you’re ready to put the salad together.
Veggies
Start with the cherry tomatoes, chop them in half. Then dice the cucumber into small chunks, you can either leave the skin on or remove it before chopping (whatever you prefer).
Next, slice the onion into thin slivers. After that, cut the olives in half and remove the pits.
Lastly, prepare the bell peppers, dice them into small chunks as well.
Assemble
Grab the dressing and bowl of pasta from the fridge and transfer all the vegetables into the bowl.
Proceed to pour the dressing on top of all the ingredients and then stir well until combined.
Gently mix in the feta cheese crumbles as well.
Serve and enjoy!
GREEK PASTA SALAD
Ingredients
- 1 pound bowtie pasta cooked, drained & cooled
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cucumber chopped
- ½ cup red onion sliced thin
- ½ cup kalamata olives drained, pitted & halved
- ½ cup bell pepper diced
- 4 oz container plain feta cheese crumbled
Dressing
- ⅔ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 TBSP lemon juice
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
Instructions
- Dressing: In a dressing jar or regular mason jar, combine the red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, all three seasonings, plus the salt and pepper, and the sugar. Proceed to put the lid on the jar and shake the ingredients to combine well. Place the dressing in the refrigerator to chill until ready to use.
- Pasta: Proceed to cook the pasta per the package instructions. Then rinse pasta with cold water, toss with a splash of olive oil and place it in a large bowl in the fridge until you're ready to put the salad together.
- Veggies: Start with the cherry tomatoes, chop them in half. Then dice the cucumber into small chunks, you can either leave the skin on or remove it before chopping (whatever you prefer). Next, slice the onion into thin slivers. After that, cut the olives in half and remove the pits. Lastly, prepare the bell peppers, dice them into small chunks as well.
- Assemble: Grab the dressing and bowl of pasta from the fridge and transfer all the vegetables into the bowl. Proceed to pour the dressing on top of all the ingredients and then stir well until combined. Gently mix in the feta cheese crumbles as well. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
How long is Greek pasta salad good for?
This pasta salad is good for up to 3 or 4 days if kept stored in an airtight container in the fridge. For best tasting results, we recommend eating it within 24 to 48 hours because the pasta can become soggy the longer it sits in the dressing.
Can I make Greek pasta salad in advance?
You can prepare the salad up to 2-4 hours before serving it, but it’s best when enjoyed fresh. If you wish to make it the day in advance, you’ll want to ensure the pasta is cooked Al dente and separated from the dressing in their airtight containers. Assemble just before serving.
Why does Greek salad taste so good?
We aren’t sure what it is, but we’re thankful for it. Our best guess is that this salad has the perfect balance of savory, sweet, tangy, and salty in every crispy soft bite for a perfect balance of textures and flavors.
Like this salad recipe? Here are a few others you’ll enjoy:
- Fiesta Ranch Chicken Pasta Salad
- FESTIVE CRANBERRY JELL-O
- Creamy Orange Fruit Salad
- SPINACH CHICKEN PASTA SALAD
- Chicken Pasta Salad with Grapes
- MANDARIN ORANGE SALAD
- Macaroni Salad with Eggs
- RED WHITE AND BLUE PASTA SALAD
- Pizza Pasta Salad
- EASY SUMMER CORN SALAD
- EASY MANGO FRUIT SALAD
- BLT PASTA SALAD
Greek Pasta Salad is refreshing, vibrant, and is so simple to put together, it makes the perfect side dish! Packed with fresh vegetables and drizzled with a homemade lemon vinaigrette dressing, it’s easy to make, and everyone enjoys it.
Dina says
I’m not clear if it’s 1lb of cooked pasta or 1 lb of uncooked pasta (16 oz package that is) to be cooked. In the ingredients cooked pasta is mentioned, in the intructions – we still need to cook pasta. If it’s 1lb of uncooked pasta, then it would yield to more of cooked weighwise
Jessica says
You use one 16-oz package of bowtie pasta. Cook it, then proceed with the recipe.
wendy elizabeth king says
So yummy! Will definitely be making again soon!