Greek Pasta Salad

If you’re like me and find it hard to plan a healthy lunch, try this Greek pasta salad. It’s loaded with veggies but sturdy enough to sit in the fridge for a few days. It’s perfect when you want a meal-prep idea that won’t get soggy.

Did I mention it’s also incredibly delicious? It’s tossed in a classic Greek dressing, made with red wine vinegar, olive oil, and oregano. You can stir the dressing together in just a few minutes while the pasta cooks.

You should also be able to chop the veggies while you wait for the water to boil and the pasta to cook. By the time you drain the pasta, you can toss it all together for minimal hands-on effort. It’s also easy to customize, so keep reading for ideas.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review

“Thank you for this recipe Megan!! I saw it in your meal plan email and decided to try it. I’m so happy I did. It was so good. The dressing was perfect. I’ve tried other Greek salad dressing recipes and they somehow just didn’t taste quite right. My son loved it so much he had three helpings.” – Sandy

Greek Pasta Salad Recipe Ingredients

• Pasta. If you want this pasta salad to be higher in protein and gluten-free, choose a legume-based pasta, like chickpea or lentil. (I originally tested this with Banza brand.) But, you can also use any other pasta you like!
• Veggies. This is where we add in all the classic Greek salad ingredients, such as fresh cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper, kalamata olives (optional), and fresh parsley. If you’re not an olive person, leave them out.
• Greek Dressing. We’re making our own with olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh garlic, mustard to help it emulsify, and a few pantry spices. So easy and delicious!
• Feta Cheese. If you need a dairy-free salad, you can omit this, but it takes the flavor to the next level. Feel free to use any other cheese you like, too.

How to Make Greek Pasta Salad

Step 1:

Start by cooking the pasta. I use chickpea pasta to keep this recipe gluten-free (and to sneak in some extra plant-based protein), but you can use any pasta you keep on hand.

The pasta shape is also up to you. I like to use fusilli pasta because its spiral shape holds the dressing well, but bow-tie, penne, shells, and rotini will all work.

While the pasta cooks, stir together the dressing. Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, oregano, salt, and black pepper to the bottom of a large mixing bowl. Use a microplane or garlic press to finely mince the garlic into the bowl, then stir well.

Step 2:

Set that aside while you chop the veggies. Since it usually takes 10 minutes for my water to come to a boil, then another 10 minutes to cook the pasta, you’ll have plenty of time to make the dressing and chop the veggies.

Slice the cucumber lengthwise, and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. (This is optional, but it can help prevent a watery salad.) Then chop it into bite-sized pieces and add it to the dressing in the bowl. Continue chopping the red onion and bell pepper, and slice the cherry tomatoes, adding them to the bowl of dressing as you go.

Note: It’s helpful if you can let the red onion marinate in the dressing as soon as possible. The vinegar will help reduce the “bite” of the raw onion. So I usually chop the red onion before working on the tomatoes and bell pepper.

Step 3:

As soon as the pasta is done cooking, drain it well. Then transfer it to the bowl with the veggies and dressing, and toss well to evenly coat the components. The cool veggies will help cool down the pasta, and there’s nothing that will wilt from the heat of the pasta yet.

Once the pasta has cooled down, add the chopped parsley and crumbled feta. Stir again, then taste the pasta salad to see if it needs more seasoning. I usually add a little more salt, then transfer it to the fridge to chill.

Note: Cold food tends to taste more muted than hot or room-temperature food. So, keep this in mind! You might need to season the chilled pasta salad right before serving, if some of the flavors get dull overnight. You can fix this by squeezing some fresh lemon over the top or seasoning with a little extra salt.

Greek Pasta Salad Recipe

5 from 12 votes

This Greek pasta salad combines two of my favorite things: pasta and Greek salad. It has a hearty, comforting texture, thanks to the pasta and creamy feta cheese, but it's also loaded with veggies. I can't think of an easier packed lunch that contains 6 different plants in a single serving. It's insanely delicious and is quite easy to prepare if you multitask while the pasta cooks.

prep20 mins cook10 mins total30 mins

Servings:4 to 6

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Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 8 ounces pasta (use gluten-free noodles, if needed)
• ½ red onion , chopped
• 1 red bell pepper , chopped
• 1 cucumber , chopped
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes , sliced in half
• ⅓ cup sliced black olives (optional)
• ½ cup freshly chopped parsley (optional)
• 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese (optional; about ½ cup)

Greek Salad Dressing

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. While the pasta cooks, stir together the Greek dressing ingredients, including the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, mustard, oregano, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl.
• As you chop the vegetables, add them to the bowl of dressing and give it a stir. I like to start with the red onion, so it will start to marinate in the dressing right away. Then add in the chopped bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, and parsley, if using.
• When the pasta is done cooking, drain the noodles, then add them to the bowl of vegetables and dressing. Toss well to coat, then season with extra salt, if needed. (I sometimes add an extra ½ teaspoon.) Add the feta cheese and serve right away, or chill in the fridge until you're ready to serve.
• You can store pasta salad in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Keep in mind that the flavor will mellow as it chills, so you may need to adjust the seasoning when you serve it cold. Add in an extra splash of vinegar, lemon juice, or salt to brighten the flavor again.

Notes

Nutrition information is for 1/4 of this recipe. This is automatically calculated from an online ingredient database, so it is just an estimate, not a guarantee.

Pasta Note: I used Banza brand chickpea pasta in these photos, which is naturally gluten-free, but you can use brown rice or whole wheat pasta with similar results. If you want to swap the veggies in this recipe, or leave something out, feel free! It’s very flexible.

Dairy-Free Note: You can omit the feta cheese for a dairy-free pasta. For added creaminess, you can serve this with a schmear of hummus in your serving bowl. It’s delicious! 

Nutrition

Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 950mg | Potassium: 594mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1670IU | Vitamin C: 69mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 2mg

Author: Megan Gilmore

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Greek

Keyword: greek pasta salad

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If you try this Greek Pasta Salad, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too. We can all benefit from your experience!