Greek Pasta Salad
This Greek pasta salad is so full of fresh flavor! All the traditional Greek salad components, plus pasta. A flavorful, full meal in a bowl.
Today I’m sharing another recipe from one of my favorite contributors: Jen!
Jen dreamed up this gorgeous Greek pasta salad for Baking a Moment, and I seriously can’t wait to give it a try!
This Greek pasta salad recipe has everything you love about Greek salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet onion, olives, and feta) plus pasta! All tossed in a wonderfully sharp and tangy Greek salad dressing.
It’s perfect as a side dish, light lunch or dinner, or even just as a snack!
I’ve been working hard to get lots more good salad recipes on this site! Because they’re one of my favorite things to make (and eat!). If you like this one, be sure to check out my spinach salad with warm bacon dressing, my creamy chicken salad, and my fall salad recipes too!
Table of Contents
- What is Greek pasta salad?
- Why this is the best Greek pasta salad recipe
- What does Greek pasta salad taste like?
- Ingredients
- Special equipment
- How to make Greek pasta salad
- How to serve Greek pasta salad
- Expert tips
- Frequently asked questions
- A few more of my best pasta recipes
What is Greek pasta salad?
If you’re already familiar with the idea of Greek salad, then you can probably guess what Greek pasta salad is!
It’s basically the same thing, only instead of lettuce it has cooked pasta. So it’s a little more filling and substantial.
There are cucumbers, black olives, feta cheese, tomatoes, and sweet red onion, all in a lemony dressing with plenty of fresh herbs and garlic.
Why this is the best Greek pasta salad recipe
- Tastes amazing: All the traditional, fresh flavors of a Greek salad can be found here!
- Fresh ingredients: Everything is fresh as can be, so the flavors are so bright and refreshing!
- Easy to make: It all comes together in just a few minutes.
- Keeps well: The longer it sits, the better it gits! Mix up a big batch and keep it in the fridge for packed lunches and heathy snacks.
What does Greek pasta salad taste like?
This Greek salad pasta has all the Greek flavors you crave.
The taste is bold yet so refreshing.
There’s the sharp, bright lemony flavor from the dressing, plus loads of fresh herbs, garlic, and sweet onion. Combined with creamy feta, salty olives, and juicy tomatoes and cucumber, this is a pasta salad you’ll want to make again and again.
Ingredients
Pasta: Greek orzo pasta salad is very traditional. Orzo is a pasta shape that looks almost like rice. But for today’s recipe, we chose to use Rotini instead.
Oil: Extra-virgin olive oil is great because it’s very authentic and has a robust flavor that really compliments the other ingredients.
Vinegar: Red wine vinegar has a sharp taste that works really well in the Greek pasta salad dressing.
Aromatics: Lemon, oregano, parsley, and garlic add even more flavor to this recipe for Greek pasta salad.
Seasonings: Kosher salt and ground black pepper. I like kosher salt best because it doesn’t have any bitter-tasting additives like iodine.
Cucumber: Any kind of cucumber will work but English or hot-house cucumbers are especially nice because the skin is thinner and they have less seeds.
Tomato: I love grape tomatoes because they’re so sweet and flavorful!
Onion: Red onion or shallot provide a pop of sweetness and bite.
Olives: Kalamata olives are traditional, but if their flavor is too much for you, try substituting California olives instead.
Feta: It wouldn’t be a Greek salad without feta! It’s crumbly and salty and a little creamy, and it adds so much to this recipe.
Special equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons: Follow my guide on how to measure ingredients.
- Pot: Full of salty water to cook the pasta.
- Spoon: For stirring the pasta as it cooks and for tossing the salad ingredients together.
- Colander: In which to drain the pasta.
- Knife and cutting board: To chop the herbs and vegetables.
- Reamer: Gets the juice out of the lemon.
- Whisk: Mixes up the dressing. You can also use a hand blender.
How to make Greek pasta salad
This Greek pasta salad is so easy and comes together in no time!
Step 1: Make the vinaigrette
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the vinaigrette.
In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper.
Step 2: Combine the salad ingredients
In a large bowl, combine the pasta, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, olives, feta, and dressing, gently tossing to combine.
Step 3: Taste and adjust
Taste the pasta salad for seasoning; add more salt and pepper if desired.
How to serve Greek pasta salad
This dish can be served for lunch, dinner, or as an appetizer or snack.
Enjoy it at room temperature or chilled.
Expert tips
Use fresh ingredients: Part of what makes this recipe shine is the ingredient quality. Use fresh vegetables and herbs to maximize flavor and texture.
Experiment: This pasta salad is super flexible when it comes to ingredient quantities. Add more or less depending on your personal preference!
Frequently asked questions
Yes, it can! This salad will taste best (and have the best texture) within 1-2 days, but it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
This would be fantastic with cooked chicken or turkey, sliced steak (I’d suggest skirt steak) or lamb, or even tofu!
Any shorter pasta will work. For example, you can use farfalle, gemelli, or macaroni.
Yes, cherry tomatoes will work in this recipe. However, you might want to quarter them instead of halving them.
This recipe makes enough to serve 12 people.
The nutritional info below is for 1/12th of the batch. It does not include additional meat or protein, just the ingredients listed in the recipe card.
A few more of my best pasta recipes
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Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound (453.59 g) pasta, such as orzo, rotini, or tortellini
- 2/3 cup (144 g) extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) lemon juice, fresh squeezed from approximately 1 – 1 1/2 lemons
- 3 tablespoons (45 g) red wine vinegar
- 1 (3 g) garlic clove, minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (7.5 g) fresh oregano, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons (8 g) Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) ground black pepper, or to taste
- 2 cups (208 g) English cucumber, seeded and diced
- 2 cups (298 g) grape tomatoes, halved
- 3/4 cup (120 g) red onion or shallot, finely diced
- 1 cup (135 g) Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- 1 1/2 cup (225 g) Feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Remove from heat, drain and rinse. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, combine the pasta, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, olives, feta, and dressing, gently tossing to combine. Taste; add more salt and pepper if desired.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
