Greek Pasta Salad

This Greek Pasta Salad is the perfect dish to bring to any summer gathering. It’s colorful, flavorful, and easy to make! Greek pasta salad is a great way for you to eat Greek food without having all of the work that goes into making it from scratch. All you need are some common ingredients like Greek olives, feta cheese, grape tomatoes, cucumbers and red onion. This dish can be made in literally just minutes

If Greek food is your favorite, then you’re in for a treat. Greek Pasta Salad is the perfect dish to satisfy your hunger and give you an intense collection of flavors. This recipe makes enough servings so that everyone can enjoy this delicious dish as a meal when served alongside some nice crusty bread.

How To Make A Greek Pasta Salad

Let’s go over the ingredients that you’ll need to make this delicious recipe. Reminder, the full printable recipe is found at the bottom of this post, here we will discuss them.

Greek Pasta Salad Ingredients

• Pasta, cooked and drained – Cook this al dente, so that it does not become too soggy after sitting in the dressing. Al dente means “to the tooth” and is often cooked pasta that still has a little bite or firmness to it
• Cherry tomatoes, halved – I used multicolored cherry tomatoes which has the benefit of different nutritional perks as well as adding to the eye appeal.
• English cucumber, quartered and sliced – Use English cucumbers because they are less watery than other varieties and hold up better in a salad.
• Pitted black olives – You could go with Greek Kalamata olives but there is no need to add that price tag to this dish or the high amount of sodium they have, compared to black olives.
• Feta cheese cubes – Feta is Greek cheese and has a salty, spicy taste that makes it perfect for this recipe.
• Red onion, halved and thinly sliced – Use red onion instead of yellow onion for a milder taste and less of a bite. It will enhance the other ingredients, not over-power them.

Greek Pasta Salad Vinaigrette Ingredients

• Olive oil – Olive oil is a healthy fat and has many benefits that you do not want to miss out on.
• Red wine vinegar – Red wine vinegar will help boost the flavor of this Greek pasta salad. Don’t substitute any other flavor of vinegar.
• Dried oregano – Greek oregano is a milder, sweeter spice than regular and will go well in this pasta salad.
• Black pepper, freshly ground – Greek pasta salad should have a little bit of spice, so make sure to use ground freshly ground black pepper – it’s fresher and you can taste the difference.
• Salt – Not much is needed as a few of the salad ingredients will compensate for it.

Directions

In a large bowl, place the pasta, the cut up veggies, and the feta cheese. Use a large spoon to mix them all together.

In a small bowl, add all your Greek vinaigrette ingredients and whisk well – unless you have a measuring shaker. You just add the ingredients, place the blender wheel and seal, and give it a few quick shakes.

Pour your fresh Greek vinaigrette over the pasta salad. Use that large spoon to gently toss it together so every ingredients seems evenly coated. Taste it to see if you need to add any additional seasoning.

Pasta Salad Variations

• Instead of Oregano, some people like to add ½ teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the vinaigrette base.
• Try playing with different kinds of olives in this pasta salad.
• ½ Cup of diced red, green, and yellow bell peppers would add both more color and crunch to your salad.
• Try adding some grilled chicken to your Greek Pasta Salad! It would make for a complete meal with some nice warm pita bread!

Storage Instructions

This is one of those dishes that only gets better with a little time. It will keep beautifully for up to 3 days in the fridge if you use an air-tight container.

Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)

What is an authentic Greek salad? A staple in Greece, it is technically peasant food. Tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, feta cheese , Kalamata olives, and olive oil are the standard traditional base ingredients.

Does the shape of pasta I use matter? No! Greek pasta salads are very flexible and you can use any shape of dried or fresh pasta. Fun shapes will make it more eye appealing.

What kind of tomatoes should I use? Fresh tomatoes, either sliced or diced, make a great addition to your Greek salad. If you can’t get baby or grape tomatoes, go with a nice hearty beefsteak tomato.

Do I have to make my own dressing? No! You can find Greek dressings at most grocery stores now, and they are usually a blend of olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and oregano. Yes, it is the same ingredients as what we use and we make just enough for this recipe. If you buy an entire bottle, you will use very little of it and spend more money.

I just can stand feta cheese – can I use something else? Yes! a great option is Halloumi cheese. It is a much milder version of feta and won’t crumble as easily.