No matter where you happen to be dining, this Greek pasta salad will transport you to a sun drenched coast overlooking the sparkling Aegean Sea. It is positively bursting with fresh Mediterranean flavors! Plus it's quick, easy, and healthy to boot.

Greek pasta salad in a large glass bowl.

If you're looking for an ideal drink to serve alongside Greek pasta salad, I recommend mixing up a glass (or pitcher) of Circe's Sucker Punch (AKA Mediterranean Punch).

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Ingredients for Greek Pasta Salad
Instructions for Greek Pasta Salad
Variations
Storage
Related
📖 Recipe

Ingredients for Greek Pasta Salad

extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar
fresh lemon juice
dijon mustard
honey
dried oregano
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
garlic
pasta
cherry tomatoes
cucumber
fresh dill
fresh flat leaf parsley
kalamata olives
feta cheese

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions for Greek Pasta Salad

Dried herbs being tipped from a steel measuring spoon into a glass bowl next to a jar of oregano.

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients except for the olive oil. Then slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking all the while. Set the dressing aside.

Cavatappi pasta being tipped out of a box into a steel pot of boiling water.

Cook the pasta al dente, according to package instructions. Then drain and immediately transfer to a large bowl.

Yellow dressing flecked with herbs being poured over hot cavatappi pasta in a large glass bowl.

While the pasta is still hot, pour over the dressing, tossing well to coat.

Dressing being stirred into pasta in a large glass bowl with a white silicone spatula.

Then allow the pasta to sit, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes or until most of the dressing has been absorbed and the pasta has cooled down.

A block of white cheese on a brown cutting board in front of a chef's knife, bunches of dill and parsley, and a glass bowl of chopped tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and cucumber.

In the meantime, prepare the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, Kalamata olives, dill, parsley, and feta cheese.

Chopped dill being sprinkled over pasta and vegetables in a large steel bowl.

Once the pasta has cooled, add the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, Kalamata olives, dill, parsley, and feta cheese. (And here I've transferred the dressed pasta to a larger bowl in order to give myself a little more room for combining everything together!)

Pasta being tossed with vegetables and feta.

Gently toss everything together until all of the additions are evenly distributed throughout the pasta.

Greek pasta salad in a shallow white bowl.

Serve immediately or chill your salad in the refrigerator for later enjoyment.

Hint: When the dressing is combined with pasta that is still piping hot, it is much better absorbed, ultimately making for a more flavorful pasta salad. So don't dawdle after draining!

Variations

There are all sorts of ways you can customize this salad to suit your personal tastes, but here are a few of my favorite variations...

Dressing - A teaspoon of dried mint adds a sweet and earthy dimension to the mix.
Pasta - A short and twisty shape of pasta is best for this salad, such as cavatappi, fusilli, or gemelli.
More Salad Additions - Other excellent additions include baby spinach or arugula, thinly sliced red onion, or chopped bell peppers. And when it comes to herbs, fresh oregano or mint are also excellent options here.

Storage

Greek pasta salad will keep in the refrigerator, stored in an airtight container, for 3 to 4 days.

If you're looking for more "summer ready" salads, of the pasta variety or otherwise, try these:

📖 Recipe

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Greek Pasta Salad

Course Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American, Mediterranean

Keyword easy, healthy, make-ahead, pasta, quick, vegetarian

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Total Time 40

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

Dressing

½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic peeled and grated

Salad

1 pound pasta (a short variety...i.e. penne, gemelli, cavatappi, fusilli, etc.)
2 pints cherry tomatoes halved or quartered
1 medium English cucumber (or a few small Persian ones) chopped into small pieces
½ cup kalamata olives (pitted) roughly chopped
½ cup fresh dill chopped
½ cup fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
6 ounces fresh feta cheese cut into small cubes

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients except for the olive oil. Then slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking all the while. Set the dressing aside.
Cook the pasta al dente, according to package instructions, and then drain.
Immediately transfer the pasta to a large bowl. While the pasta is still hot, pour over the dressing, tossing well to coat. Then allow the pasta to sit, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes or until most of the dressing has been absorbed and the pasta has cooled down.
In the meantime, prepare the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, Kalamata olives, dill, parsley, and feta cheese.
Once the pasta has cooled down, add the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, Kalamata olives, dill, parsley, and feta cheese. Gently toss everything together until all of the additions are evenly distributed throughout the pasta.