Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Updated Jun 25, 2026
This Mediterranean Pasta Salad is a summertime favorite. It's quick and easy to make, loaded with vegetables and color, and super filling!
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When the weather is warm, this Mediterranean Pasta Salad is my favorite to make! Throw it together with cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese, and it’s sure to be hit with everyone! I love taking this salad to potlucks and cookouts, or meal prepping it for the week to enjoy it for lunch.
Yumna’s Testing Notes
For the past 10 years, I’ve tested every recipe before sharing it with you! These notes give you a peek into the process of developing this mediterranean pasta salad recipe.
Rinsing the pasta made a big difference here. I usually don’t rinse pasta, but for pasta salad, I found it really helps stop the cooking right away and cools the pasta down so it doesn’t wilt the spinach or soften the feta. It also keeps the fusilli from clumping together before it gets tossed with the dressing.
The dressing works better when it goes in the bowl first. I tested adding the dressing after everything was mixed together, but whisking it in the serving bowl first and tossing the cooled pasta directly into it helped the pasta absorb more flavor before the veggies went in. It keeps them fresher and still gives the whole salad that tangy Mediterranean flavor. I especially like adding the red onions first so they mellow out in the dressing while I prep everything else.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
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Mediterranean Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Pasta: I like to use short and textured pasta like penne, ditalini, farfalle, or fusilli. It’s easier to eat, and their shapes absorb the salad dressings really well.
- Veggies: Tomatoes are a must. You can use fresh tomatoes, like Roma or cherry tomatoes, or sun-dried tomatoes. I also like to use cucumbers, and red onions.
- Something brined and salty: Olives definitely work here, as do roasted red peppers, artichokes, and hearts of palm.
- Greens: I like using arugula, spinach, or baby kale. Don’t want big leafy greens? Try just parsley or basil or mint!
- Feta cheese: Add as much as your heart desires or none if you want to keep this pasta salad vegan.
How to Make Mediterranean Pasta Salad
These photos give you a quick visual on how to make the recipe. The full ingredient amounts and instructions are in the recipe card below, or you can jump straight to the Mediterranean Pasta Salad.
1. Whisk the Dressing
Everything for the dressing goes right into the bowl I’ll use for the whole salad, which means one less dish later. Keep whisking until the oil and vinegar come together instead of sitting in separate layers.
2. Add Pasta to Dressing
Once the dressing is ready, the cooled pasta goes in first and gets coated completely before anything else hits the bowl. Doing it in this order means every piece of pasta picks up flavor instead of just whatever ends up sitting on top.
3. Layer in Veggies and Feta
Cucumber, tomatoes, spinach, red onion, feta, and olives all go on top in one layer rather than getting stirred in one at a time. That keeps the feta from breaking apart too much before the final toss.
4. Toss It All Together
Work everything through the bowl with tongs or a big spoon until the dressing reaches every piece, not just what’s on top. You’ll know it’s ready when the cucumber and tomatoes look glossy and coated and the spinach has relaxed slightly under everything else.
Full easy Mediterranean pasta salad recipe
Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fusilli pasta
- 1 English cucumbers diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup baby spinach
- ½ small red onion sliced
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup kalamata olives halved
Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until completely cool. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, make the salad dressing in a large serving bowl by whisking together the dressing ingredients until emulsified.
- Add the pasta on top of the dressing and toss to combine. Add the remaining salad ingredients, and toss the pasta salad until everything is evenly coated with the dressing. Serve immediately or allow to chill in the fridge until ready to eat.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Variations
- Beef up the protein with some chickpeas or white beans. If you want to add some extra protein or bulk up the salad, you can add in a can of chickpeas or white beans.
- Add in some grilled chicken or shrimp. If you want to make this a main dish, you can easily add in some grilled chicken or grilled shrimp.
- Try it with pickled onions or jalapeños. If you want a little more acidity or spice, you can add pickled onions or jalapeños. I like to add both!
Recipe Tips
- Don’t skimp out on the salt. How much salt? I usually eyeball this, but the rule is usually 1-2 tablespoons for every gallon of water. Go with 2 tablespoons when it’s cold pasta to ensure there are still lots of flavors there.
- Don’t overcook the pasta. No one likes soggy pasta in a pasta salad. You want to make sure it’s moist but not too soft. Follow the al dente cooking instructions on the pasta box.
- Rinse the pasta with cold water after cooking. This will help to immediately stop the pasta from getting any additional heat or adding heat to other salad ingredients like the feta cheese.
- Cut the veggies as uniformly as possible. This keeps the salad looking nice and keeps the eating experience consistent. If everything is a different size, some ingredients will be overdressed or underdressed.
- Marinate the onions in the dressing. I don’t love pungent fresh onions always in my salad so I usually add them to the dressing for a few minutes while I prepare the remaining ingredients, and it mellow them out!
Comments
I’m super excited about this salad. Could I just do a simple sweet balsamic vinegar and olive oil for a dressing? I just found your site and am very excited to try some of your recipes. Versatile recipes are always a go to of mine. 🙃
Oh yes that will totally work! Let me know what you think of it after you try it. And I’m so excited you found the website too! Let me know if you ever have any other questions.
Thank you for this wonderful pasta salad. I plan on making it today for company that will be coming tomorrow. My big ? Is should I withhold putting dressing on today & a few hours before they come then add dressing tomorrow. I really do not want to dry out salad. If possible pls respond today if you see this comment. I just love how colorful it is. I also am making it with sourdough Fusilli pasta 😋
Hi Amy! You can add the dressing today or tomorrow. I recommend adding the dressing it at least a few hours ahead of time, or even the day before, so all the flavors have a chance to mingle. This salad actually gets better as it sits. Be sure to give it a good stir before serving, as some of the dressing may have settled on the bottom. Hope your company enjoys it!
Yummmmmm!! So good! This is a great one that works with pretty much any substitution I’ve ever tried! My fav is to use the oil from sundried tomatoes in the dressing. A firm favourite, and it get smashed at family dinners, even with fussy eaters who are licking plates clean! ❤️ Thank you so much!
Yay!! So glad it’s a hit at your house!! Thanks so much, Beck!
I just made it and it came out so good! Thank you for sharing. Bringing it to a work baby shower tomorrow so I doubled the recipe. Instead of making the dressing I used “Greek feta dressing”. Everything else, I followed the ingredients you listed.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it, Amira! Thanks so much!!
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