Easy and refreshing Greek Pasta Salad comes brimming with colorful, fresh vegetables, briny olives, and tangy feta. It's the perfect crowd-pleasing dish for summer parties and healthy eating year-round! Make it a full meal with chicken or shrimp, or serve it as a lunch salad over a bed of Romaine and Baby Kale!
Pasta salads are recommended served chilled, which makes them perfect for the warmer months. Tortellini pasta salad and bowtie pasta salad are two other cold pasta dishes alongside this one that we can't stop raving about. Bookmark it for next time!
HOW TO MAKE GREEK PASTA SALAD
Greek Pasta Salad comes together just as easy as its predecessor, the classic Greek Salad. The only difference? Noodles are taking over the lettuce. Yes, please.
- Cook the pasta to al dente and rinse until cool.
- Prep the vegetables while the pasta is cooking.
- Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, drizzle with Italian dressing and toss.
- Chill or serve right away.
GREEK PASTA SALAD INGREDIENTS
- Rotini Pasta -- Rotini pasta is perfect for just about any pasta salad, equipped with nooks and crannies to trap dressings, and ultimately, build bigger flavor! You could also use penne or farfalle for your Greek Pasta Salad if you have it on hand.
- Cucumber -- You can use a standard cucumber or an English cucumber. If you use English cucumbers, peeling them is not at all necessary due to their thin peel
- Grape Tomatoes - Grape tomatoes stay flavorful year-round, they're sturdy and hold up well in pasta salads. However, you could also use cherry tomatoes or deseeded Roma tomatoes.
- Kalamata Olives -- Really, any black olive would do, but Kalamata is traditional for a Greek salad.
- Red Onion -- The red onion is optional. If you're on the fence, consider using a shallot instead.
- Feta Cheese -- Actually, this one's non-negotiable. What's Greek Pasta Salad without Feta, anyway?
- Italian Dressing -- You can use any store-bought Italian dressing you'd like. Our go-to is Olive Garden Italian Dressing because of its creamy Parmesan vibes.
MAKE IT YOUR OWN!
If you'd like to beef up the protein in your Greek Pasta Salad, chop up some oven-baked chicken or quick-roasted shrimp and add it to the mix. You could also add chickpeas, chopped fresh, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, or marinated artichoke hearts.
In fact, you can turn this Greek Pasta Salad into a salad...like, an actual salad. Consider serving it over crisp, chopped Romaine lettuce, or (our favorite combination) a mix of Romaine and Baby Kale.
HOW LONG WILL IT KEEP?
Greek Pasta Salad will last in your refrigerator, sealed in an airtight container, for 4-5 days. If you add chicken, 3-4 days, and if you add shrimp, 1-2 days.
5 MORE PASTA SALAD RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Pesto Pasta Salad is a creamy pesto pasta salad, made fresh and healthy with ingredients like grape tomatoes and green beans.
- Tuna Pasta Salad is kept classic with canned Albacore tuna, peas, pasta shells, and dill. Best of all, it comes coated in a delectable, creamy mayonnaise dressing that cannot be beaten!
- Antipasto Pasta Salad is a vibrant make-ahead pasta salad featuring fresh Mozzarella, Sopressata, artichokes, and roasted red peppers.
- Bowtie Pasta Salad is a simple, crowd-pleasing dish packing tons of flavor and an Italian flare. Featuring farfalle noodles Italian dressing, a mix of colorful vegetables, and Mozzarella cheese.
- Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad is a family-friendly side dish Ranch lovers will swoon for, with a quick and easy Ranch dressing (homemade or store-bought), crispy bacon, and more!
Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- ½ lb Rotini Noodles
- ⅔ cup Italian Dressing
- 1 English cucumber quartered and cut into ¼” slices
- 1 ½ cup Grape Tomatoes halved long-ways and seeded
- ½ cup pitted Kalamata Olives
- ½ cup Red Onion quartered and thinly sliced
- 4 ounces crumbled Feta Cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large salted pot of water to a roaring boil. Add pasta and stir for 1 minute. Cook to al dente according to package instructions and transfer to a strainer. Run cold water to run over the noodles until lukewarm. Drain thoroughly.
- Transfer to a large mixing bowl and toss with Italian dressing. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and toss gently to evenly combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve right away or (for best results) refrigerate until chilled through.
Video
Nutrition
jordan says
Yummy! That is my kind of pasta salad.
Pam says
Kelly, you can always be counted on to give us great recipes. This one is no exception! I love everything Greek and this is perfect for the hot weather we're having.
Deanne Frieders says
Oh my goodness, give me ALL the olives and feta! Such a great summertime salad, we love it!
Sara Welch says
I know what I will be having for lunch tomorrow; this looks spectacular! Delicious!