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There are not that many recipes that I really, truly could eat every day, but this vegetarian Greek Pasta Salad is one of them. It’s light, fresh and easy and full of sweet tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, olives and feta cheese all tossed in a homemade dressing! It’s perfect for summer cookouts and potlucks (I recently took it to one and several people asked for the recipe). This easy Greek pasta salad is also great as a side dish or a main meal.
Table of Contents
What makes a salad a salad? There are really just two rules: 1) it contains raw vegetables, and 2) it’s tossed in a dressing. So, by that definition, we really don’t need lettuce or any greens to make a salad. And that’s why I love tossing fresh vegetables with pasta and dressing to make all kinds of pasta salads, including my favorite Greek pasta salad!
The salad is made with the usual ingredients you would find in a Greek salad and dressed with a homemade vinaigrette that’s reminiscent of your favorite Greek dressing. It’s light and flavorful, and it’s the perfect summer salad to take with you to picnics, potlucks, barbecues, and everything in between!
Recipe At a Glance
Cuisine Inspiration: American
Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop
Dietary Info: Vegetarian
Key Flavor: Pasta, feta, tomatoes and cucumber
Skill Level: Easy
- Fast: I love a 30-minute recipe. Even the Greek pasta salad dressing takes no time at all to whisk together.
- Make-ahead: This recipe needs time in the fridge for the flavors to come together. I’ve made it in the morning and served it at night for dinner!
- Customizable: You can use different veggies, swap out the feta cheese, or even add grilled chicken.
- Full of fresh veggies: This Greek pasta salad has so many veggies in it. Tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, red onion!
Ingredients to Make Greek Pasta Salad
- Pasta: Use shortcut pasta because it’s easier to get a forkful of pasta with the vegetables this way. This includes rotini (like I use), farfalle, elbow, or penne. When cooking the pasta, make sure to cook it al dente for any salads.
- Tomatoes: Use the ripest tomatoes you can find and make sure to core them before chopping. The core is tougher and not as tasty!
- Green pepper: Bell peppers are slightly sweet, and I love how crunchy they are. Make sure to core and de-seed the pepper before chopping it.
- Red onions: These are customary in Greek salads, so you should definitely include them. However, if you want to reduce that oniony taste, I recommend soaking them in the vinaigrette before tossing them in. You can also soak them in an ice bath for a few minutes before adding to the salad.
- Olives: Go with kalamata olives for the classic tried and true ingredient. But really, any olives will work.
- Cucumbers: I like to use English cucumbers because the seeds are smaller and don’t need to be removed.
- Feta cheese: Is it even Greek without the feta? There are lots of varieties of feta, so use the one you like.
- Extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper: These are the dressing ingredients and they couldn’t be simpler! I always use extra virgin olive oil because it’s more flavorful.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Use other tomatoes. I love how flavorful vine-ripened tomatoes are, but you can use quartered cherry or grape tomatoes instead.
- Change out the veggies. Instead of the cucumber, bell pepper and red onion, you could use another combination of veggies (like scallions, spinach and zucchini).
- Add in protein. Mixed in drained, canned chickpeas, cubed grilled chicken or cooked, flaked salmon.
- Add in spices. Try a pinch of red pepper flakes, cumin or za’atar.
- Make it gluten-free. You can always use your favorite gluten-free pasta.
How to Make Greek Pasta Salad
Whenever I make this Greek pasta salad, I feel like it’s an exercise in patience. It smells so good I want to eat it right away, but it really does taste better once the pasta has had time to soak in the tangy dressing.
Tips for Making the Best Greek Pasta Salad with Feta Cheese
- Cook the pasta al dente. For any pasta salad recipes, I always recommend cooking the pasta al dente. That’s because the texture is really important to the overall appeal of the dish. Cooking the pasta al dente keeps it from becoming mushy when you toss it with the dressing.
- Salt the pasta water. There’s a myth that salting the pasta as it boils is supposed to help it cook faster. But that’s not the reason to salt the water. It’s purely for flavoring the pasta. That’s because salt penetrates the pasta while boiling, allowing it to get properly flavored. It’s much harder to flavor pasta after it’s been cooked, and you will most likely end up using way more salt than needed.
- Don’t rinse the pasta after cooking. Dress the pasta salad hot so it sucks the dressing and clings to it better without any vinaigrette leftover at the bottom of the dish. Allow the dressing, and not the cold water, to cool down the pasta.
- Chop the ingredients into bite-sized pieces. Keeping all the ingredients small helps you get a forkful of everything in one bite, and that’s the best way to enjoy the myriad of flavors and textures in this Greek pasta salad.
What to Serve With Easy Greek Pasta Salad
Frequently Asked Questions
This salad will easily keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days, so it’s perfect to make ahead of time for a fuss-free side. The leftovers make a great lunch the next day! If you do make it ahead of time, the pasta will soak up some of the dressing, so you may want to add a little more before serving.
You could, but the pasta salad will not taste the best. It needs time in the fridge for the noodles and veggies to absorb the dressing and for the flavors to meld.
Al dente pasta should be tender, but still toothsome. I recommend tasting the noodles two minutes before the box’s cooking time states. If it’s not tender, try again in another 30 seconds, then another 30, and so on.
If you’ve yet to join the Pasta Salad Fan Club, I can almost guarantee this Greek Pasta Salad will do it for you. It’s fresh from the veggies, has a salty bite from the feta, and is coated with a tangy dressing. In three words: It’s absolutely delicious.
More Pasta Salad Recipes:
- Avocado Pasta Salad
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- Spinach Pasta Salad
- Tahini Pasta Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
If you try this feel good Greek Pasta Salad recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
This Greek Pasta Salad recipe was originally published on May 21, 2019 and has recently been updated to include bell peppers and adjusted measurements, plus new photography, tips, and step-by-step process images to better help make the recipe. The original recipe can be found in the notes section of the recipe card below.
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Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the Salad
- 8 ounces fusilli pasta
- 3 vine-ripened tomatoes chopped
- 1 English cucumber peeled chopped
- 1 green pepper chopped
- ½ small red onion chopped
- ½ cup black kalamata olives
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- To make the dressing, in a large serving bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Set aside in the fridge.
- To make the salad, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook to al dente according to package instructions. Drain the pasta, then add to the large serving bowl with the dressing. Immediately toss with the warm pasta so it can absorb the flavors.
- Add the tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, and olives and toss to coat. Chill for 1 hour for flavors to develop. When ready to serve, add the crumbled feta cheese on top and toss gently to combine.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
I made this recipe for a Friday evening picnic and it went down a treat!
I followed the recipe as it is but added a tsp of maple syrup to the dressing as well. It was quick, easy and fuss free.
It was fun to make this as this was my go to dish 25 years ago when I first started to learn to cook for myself. I didn’t follow a recipe at the time and my dressing I could never get quite right, so I bought a store one which I always used too much of. It was good to see exactly how to make the dish, what quantities/ingredients to use etc. I would say this recipe here is spot on for me. I will be making this again.
That’s amazing! This must’ve been so nostalgic. Glad you enjoyed!
I’m not much of a chef but I made your Greek pasta salad for our cookout last night and it was a total hit! Thank you!
I’m so glad you gave it a try and enjoyed it! You’re so welcome!
This recipe is amazing and super simple. It was easy and my family loved it!
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear. Thanks so much!
How can I substitute red wine vinegar?
You can use any other acid like apple cider vinegar, white distilled vinegar, balsamic vinegar or lemon juice!
Light, fresh and easy summer salad.