Greek Pasta Salad
This Greek Pasta Salad is a refreshing, healthy pasta salad recipe made with simple, fresh ingredients like pasta, veggies, olives, and feta cheese, all tossed in a light homemade dressing. Easy to prepare in under 30 minutes!
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It’s a cold pasta salad great for family lunches, potlucks, BBQ parties, or even just a quick side dish for dinner at home. I also love making this ahead of time because it actually tastes better after it sits in the fridge.
If you want to turn this into a full meal, it goes really well with lemon herb chicken or with this Crispy Chinese Salt and Pepper Shrimp, which you can easily serve on the side for a complete and satisfying plate.
How to Make Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Cook pasta in well-salted water according to package instructions. Drain and let it cool completely.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives, and feta cheese.
3. In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
4. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently until everything is well coated.
5. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving so the flavors blend nicely.
Serve & Enjoy!
Important Recipe Notes
- Make sure the pasta is fully cooled before mixing. Warm pasta can make the vegetables soft and the feta melt, which changes the texture.
- Salt your pasta water well: This is your chance to season the pasta from the inside. It really makes a big difference in flavor.
- Try to cut the cucumber, tomatoes, and onion into similar sizes so every bite has a good mix of ingredients.
- Don’t skip the chilling time. At least 30 minutes helps the dressing soak into the pasta and makes the flavor much better.
- After chilling, give it a quick stir and taste again. You may want to add a little more salt, pepper, or a splash of olive oil.
- Dressing may settle: This is normal. Just mix it again before serving so everything is evenly coated.
- Best served cold or room temp: This salad is not meant to be eaten hot—it tastes best chilled or slightly cool.
- You can prepare it a day ahead, but if making it early, you might want to add a little extra olive oil before serving to freshen it up.
Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 10 oz 300 g short pasta (rotini or penne)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 large cucumber diced
- ½ small red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup kalamata olives
- ¾ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta in well-salted water according to package instructions. Drain and let it cool completely.
- In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives, and feta cheese.
- In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently until everything is well coated.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving so the flavors blend nicely.
