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This Greek pasta salad recipe is fresh, colorful, and made with the most irresistible homemade dressing. Perfect for summer entertaining and potlucks!
Inspired by our favorite Greek salad, this easy pasta salad combines fresh tomatoes, red onion, olives, and creamy feta cheese. It’s simple to shop for, comes together quickly, and always tastes like summer.
Serve it as a side dish, or make it a full meal by topping it with grilled chicken, shrimp scampi, or your favorite protein. For an Italian twist, try our Italian pasta salad with salami. It’s just as easy and just as delicious.
Key Ingredients
- Pasta: I used mini farfalle in the photos, but choose a shape that has plenty of nooks and crannies to catch the dressing. Penne, fusilli, rotini, farfalle (bow tie), and orzo are all great options.
- Veggies: This calls for the same veggies as a traditional Greek salad, except for the cucumber, which doesn’t hold up as well over time. I add tomatoes, red onion, and green bell pepper.
- Olives: I’ve used pitted Kalamata olives in the photos, but feel free to use your favorite olives instead. Consider black, green, or Castelvetrano olives.
- Feta Cheese: Choose feta sold in brine if you can. It tastes better than pre-crumbled feta, and you can even add a spoonful of the brine to the dressing for more flavor.
- Pepperoncini Peppers: These are optional, but I love them. I like to slice them thin and mix them into the salad, plus add a splash of the pepperoncini brine to the dressing for even more flavor. I do the same with our classic pasta salad.
- Greek Salad Dressing: You’ll make it with olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. I also add a bit of feta brine and pepperoncini brine (trust me, it’s delicious!).
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Seriously Good Greek Pasta Salad
Tip 1: Make everything in one bowl. I’m always looking for ways to reduce the number of dirty dishes, so I make this pasta salad directly in the serving bowl. Start by whisking the dressing in the bottom, then add the cooked pasta and other ingredients on top. Toss it all together, and you’re done.
Tip 2: Let it sit. This pasta salad actually gets better as it rests. Let the pasta and veggies sit in the dressing for at least 30 minutes before serving so the flavors have time to mingle. It makes a big difference.
Serving Suggestions
This Greek salad is perfect for bringing to your next get-together. It’s fresh, colorful, and tasty. I’ve also been enjoying it myself as a base for something else. Add chickpeas, poached salmon, baked tofu, or juicy chicken breasts for a complete meal.
Greek Pasta Salad
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PREP
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COOK
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TOTAL
To make this Greek pasta salad really flavorful, we use brine in two ways. First, we add a few tablespoons of juice from a jar of pepperoncini peppers, which adds a touch of spice. Second, we use feta cheese packed in brine and stir a couple of tablespoons of that cloudy, salty liquid into the dressing.
6 Servings
You Will Need
Greek Pasta Salad
8 ounces short-cut pasta, such as bow-tie, fusilli, or penne (226g)
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
3 small tomatoes, chopped, 1 ¼ cups
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 ¼ cups Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
8 ounces feta cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes (226g)
4 pepperoncini peppers, thinly sliced, optional
Salad Dressing
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (60ml)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (60ml)
2 tablespoons brine from jar of pepperoncini peppers or use fresh lemon juice (30ml)
2 tablespoons brine from feta, optional (30ml)
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt plus more to taste
Directions
1Place the sliced onion in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Set the bowl aside for 10 minutes so that the raw flavor of the onion calms a little. Drain and rinse the onions before adding them to the salad.
2Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender, 6 to 10 minutes (check the package for recommended cook time). Drain and rinse well under cold water.
3While the pasta cooks, in the bottom of a large bowl, make the dressing. Whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, pepperoncini brine, feta brine, oregano, salt, and black pepper until well blended.
4Add the drained and rinsed pasta to the dressing and mix well.
5Stir in the drained and rinsed red onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, olives, feta cheese, and sliced pepperoncini peppers.
6Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed. Serve or, for the best results, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 5 days.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Feta brine: We buy feta cheese that’s packaged in brine. That cloudy liquid is salty, creamy, and delicious whisked into our dressing. If you don’t find feta sold in brine, that’s okay. The salad still tastes great, but if you can find it, buy it. The feta is better, and you can use the brine to season all sorts of things (this pasta salad, included).
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
1/6 of the recipe
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Calories
381
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Total Fat
21.2g
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Saturated Fat
7.5g
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Cholesterol
33.6mg
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Sodium
661.4mg
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Carbohydrate
37.4g
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Dietary Fiber
4.2g
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Total Sugars
5.5g
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Protein
11.7g
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