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This Easy Greek Pasta Salad recipe with feta cheese, kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumbers and homemade dressing is the perfect side dish for summer potlucks and picnics. Greek salad is easy to make ahead and serve with chicken or your favorite protein for a quick dinner the whole family will love!
I made this delicious salad recipe the other night as a change from our usual Italian Pasta Salad. It was a huge hit with the family, especially my daughter who adores anything with salty feta cheese!
Both are similar to each other, although the flavors are slightly different. When I make the Italian version, I like to add chopped salami, pepperoni or ham. But the Greek salad is usually meatless, which makes it a wonderfully easy side dish that goes with just about anything.
If you love easy pasta salad recipes, you might also like Chicken Bacon Ranch pasta salad, BLT Pasta Salad or Tortellini salad.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients to make it. Full amounts are in the printable recipe card below.
- Tri color rotini pasta — We like tri-color rotini because it adds more color
- Grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
- Pitted olives — black olives and/or kalamata olives are best
- Feta cheese — Creamy feta cheese is a must for Greek salad
- Pepperoncini peppers — either chopped or whole
- Cucumber — English cucumbers or Persian cucumber
- Red onion — for added flavor and crunch
The best thing about this easy pasta salad recipe is that there really aren’t many rules–so feel free to add your favorite things to this simple recipe!
How to Make Greek Pasta Salad
First, cook your pasta according to package directions. I cook pasta in the Instant Pot, but you can use the stove if you prefer. While the pasta is cooking, you can start chopping up the veggies. When it’s done, drain in a colander, and rinse the pasta under cold water. This stops the al dente pasta from cooking and prevents it from sticking. It also cools the cooked pasta down faster. Just add the cooled pasta to a large mixing bowl while you make the dressing.
I made homemade Greek dressing for the salad this time, although I have used bottled Italian dressing before. Either is fine, and you can use bottled Greek salad dressing if you can find it. You can also use your own Italian dressing. The dressing ingredients are simply vinegar ( I used red wine vinegar), olive oil, Dijon mustard and a few herbs and spices.
To make the dressing, mix the mustard, vinegar and spices in a small bowl. Then, whisk in the olive oil until it’s emulsified. This makes about 1 cup of dressing. It might look like a lot, but it’s really not!
I like to add about half of the dressing right away. If I’m making the salad ahead of time, I’ll add the remaining dressing right before serving. You can add it all at once if you prefer. You can also add more to suit your tastes.
To make the salad, just add the chopped veggies to the cooled pasta. Then, pour in the dressing, and combine pasta with fresh veggies and dressing. For extra freshness and even more color, I like to add some fresh herbs like chopped parsley.
Fresh basil goes well with the salad, too. I just love how bright and colorful this salad is! Vibrant, fresh and perfect for summer or all year long!
What to Serve with Greek Pasta Salad
I usually serve Greek pasta with chicken breasts. We like Ritz Cracker Chicken, Italian Dressing Chicken or Lemon Pepper Chicken. Grilled chicken would be perfect, as well. Not a fan of chicken? Try grilled salmon or grilled steak. You can also keep it meatless and enjoy the salad on its own or add garbanzo beans or kidney beans for extra protein.
Variation
Use your favorite pasta shapes. Orzo, penne pasta and bowtie pasta are great substitutions for rotini pasta.
Peppers make a great addition to this colorful pasta salad. Instead of–or in addition to– the pepperoncini, throw in bell peppers, either a chopped red bell pepper or green bell pepper, or banana peppers.
Some other fresh veggies to add to this easy pasta salad are green onions, green olives, yellow squash, and artichoke hearts.
Spice your salad up a little bit with red pepper flakes, garlic pepper, or shredded pepper jack cheese.
Storage
Store your pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It’ll last 2 to 3 days after you make it. Any longer, and it’ll start to get soggy. When you’re ready to eat your leftovers, give the salad a good stir, and enjoy!
Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cooked rotini pasta tri colored
- 1 English cucumber sliced half moons, or seed a regular cucumber
- 1 pint grape tomatoes cut in half
- ¼ cup red onion finely chopped
- ¼ cup pepperoncini peppers sliced
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives cut in half
- chopped parsley optional
Dressing Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¾ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions in a large pot of salted water or cook in Instant Pot. Drain pasta in colander, and rinse under cold water
- Add cooled pasta and remaining ingredients to a large bowl
- Pour in dressing, mix well, and top with chopped parsley, if desired
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Add more dressing before serving if needed
Dressing
- Mix the mustard, vinegar, basil, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the olive oil until dressing is emulsified
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Found this to have for lunch! Simple to make and tons of flavor! Make it ahead for maximum taste!