Greek Pasta Salad – Eating Bird Food

This easy greek pasta salad is loaded with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives and feta cheese all tossed in a homemade greek dressing. It’s the perfect make ahead side for all your summer potlucks!

Sometimes the best dishes are the ones that are simple yet packed with flavor, and Greek Pasta Salad fits that bill perfectly. With a mix of rotini pasta, fresh vegetables, olives, and feta, all tossed in a homemade Greek dressing, this salad is both refreshing and satisfying. It’s versatile enough to be a side dish for a weeknight dinner or the star of a potluck spread. This Greek Pasta Salad recipe is all about convenience without compromising on flavor!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Has all the classic flavors of traditional Greek salad, just with pasta making it more filling.
• Stores well in the fridge making it great for meal prep.
• It’s the perfect dish to make for all your summer BBQs and potlucks!
• Can be served as a side, but is also filling enough to enjoy as a full meal.

Ingredients Needed

• rotini pasta – I love using rotini pasta for this recipe because the spirals hold onto the dressing and other ingredients really well. However, you could use any short pasta shape you like, such as penne or bowtie.
• cherry tomatoes – these juicy tomatoes add a burst of sweetness and color. You can also use grape tomatoes if you prefer.
• red onion – gives the salad a punch of flavor and a bit of crunch.
• cucumber – adds a refreshing crunch. Feel free to use regular, English or Persian cucumbers.
• green bell pepper – provides a bit of bitterness that complements the other flavors. You can also use red or yellow bell peppers for a sweeter flavor if you prefer.
• kalamata olives – olives add that classic Mediterranean flavor. Kalamata olives are especially flavorful and add a touch of authenticity, but feel free to use black olives instead.
• fresh parsley – I love adding fresh herbs to my dishes whenever possible and fresh parsley pairs perfectly with the rest of the ingredients in this salad.
• crumbled feta – can’t have a Greek salad without feta cheese! This cheese adds a salty, tangy flavor that is irresistible. Feel free to use fresh feta cubes or crumbled feta.
• dressing – we’re making a homemade Greek salad dressing for this salad, which is made by blending (or whisking) together red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, oregano, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil.

How to Make

Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rotini pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.

Make dressing: While the pasta is cooking, prepare the dressing. Add all the dressing ingredients to a blender and blend until everything is well combined and the dressing is smooth. If you don’t have a blender you could also mince the garlic and add all the ingredients to a mason jar, then shake or whisk really well to combine.

Put it all together: In a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, green bell pepper, olives, fresh parsley and feta cheese. Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and gently toss to make sure everything is evenly coated.

Enjoy: Taste the salad and add additional salt and pepper if needed. You can serve the salad immediately or let it chill in the refrigerator before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.

Substitutions & Notes

• Gluten-free: Need to make this pasta salad gluten-free? Use brown rice or legume pasta for a boost of protein!
• Dairy-free: Skip the feta cheese or use vegan feta cheese!
• Add protein: To make this salad more hearty and filling, consider adding shredded chicken, grilled chicken or chickpeas.
• Dressing: For a shortcut use a store-bought Greek dressing, just be mindful of the ingredients as many store-bought dressings are loaded with unnecessary sugars and ingredients. This Primal Kitchen Greek Vinaigrette seems like a good store-bought option.
• Veggies: Want to swap some of the veggies? Go for it! Yellow onion, red or yellow bell pepper, zucchini, baby spinach and broccoli would all be great additions to this salad!
• Olives: Not a fan of kalamata olives? Use black or green olives instead! You could also skip the olives altogether and add roasted red peppers or artichoke hearts instead.

What to Serve With This Greek Pasta Salad

I love that this salad pairs well with just about any protein. It’s delicious served with my grilled apple cider vinegar chicken. I think the flavors go really well together. It’s also a perfect side for cookouts and potlucks.

How to Store

This salad stores really well in the fridge making it great for meal prep!

To make it in advance: You can prep the salad the night before and let it chill in the fridge until serving. Just like most pasta salads, it gets better as it sits!

To store leftovers: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

More Healthy Summer Salads

Be sure to check out all of the pasta salad recipes as well as the full collection of salad recipes on EBF!