This Greek Pasta Salad combines the beloved flavors of Mediterranean flavors of Greek Salad with the comforts of Macaroni Salad. You’ll love the zesty Greek salad dressing that coats every bite.
This can be served as a side or a meal in itself. It’s a refreshing and satisfying dish that is perfect for summer picnics, or anytime you crave something light yet flavorful. Watch the video tutorial to see how easy it is.

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We love pasta salads from the classic Italian Pasta Salad to the hearty BLT Pasta Salad. If you’re into pasta dishes that are light yet packed with flavor, then you have to give this Greek Pasta Salad a try!
Greek Pasta Salad Recipe
Greek pasta salad is the perfect dish for any occasion, whether it’s a summer barbecue, a family picnic, a church potluck, or a quick weeknight dinner. With its vibrant colors, fresh vegetables, and classic Mediterranean flavors, this salad is not only beautiful but also incredibly delicious.
The combination of tender pasta, crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, briny olives, and tangy feta cheese creates a perfect blend of tastes and textures that everyone will love. Plus, it’s easy to customize and can be made ahead of time, making it an ideal addition to your recipe rotation.
Greek Pasta Salad Video
Watch Natasha create this mouthwatering Greek Pasta Salad. It’s so simple—just chop your ingredients, combine them, and pour the delicious homemade Greek Salad Dressing over the top. Follow along and you’ll have the tastiest pasta salad ready in no time.
Ingredients
The key to making the best Greek Pasta Salad lies in blending fresh, high-quality ingredients with a perfectly balanced dressing.
- Bowtie pasta – or any small, shaped pasta, serves as the hearty base of the salad, perfectly capturing the tangy Greek dressing.
- English cucumber – adds a refreshing crunch
- Cherry tomatoes – (or grape tomatoes) halved, to add a burst of sweetness
- Bell pepper – chopped, any color will do to add a touch of crunch
- Red onion – chopped, provides a mild sharpness to the mix
- Feta cheese – crumbled, lends a creamy, tangy element
- Kalamata olives – pitted and halved/chopped, bring a rich briny flavor
- Parsley – brightens the salad with its fresh, herbal touch

Variations
- Pasta options: opt for smaller shapes like fusilli, bowtie, penne, farfalle, or orzo pasta as they are excellent at holding onto every drop of that delicious Greek pasta salad dressing.
- For extra flavor: consider using fresh herbs such as basil, dill, or chives. You can also include veggies like artichoke hearts, capers, roasted red peppers, and green or black olives. You can also add lemon juice from one lemon to the dressing for a bright and tangy flavor.
- Protein: grilled chicken, or shrimp, or even chickpeas to make this side dish a complete meal.
- Vinegar: This will give you the most authentic flavor, but you could substitute it with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. You could also substitute with the juice of the kalamata olives if it’s made with red wine vinegar and add it to taste.
The Best Greek Salad Dressing
This is the same dressing we used in our favorite Greek Salad recipe in Natasha’s Kitchen Cookbook. It’s so simple but perfectly balanced and adds plenty of juiciness and flavor to the salad. All you need is:
- Extra virgin olive oil – get the best quality you can find for the best-tasting dressing
- Red wine vinegar – adds acidity to the dressing
- Garlic – use fresh and not pre-minced for a punch of fresh flavor
- Simple Seasonings – we used dried oregano, salt, and pepper

How to Make Greek Salad Dressing
- In a large measuring cup or mason jar, add the following ingredients in this order red wine vinegar, dried oregano, grated garlic, fine sea salt, ground black pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.
- Whisk to combine, or if you’re using a mason jar with a lid, give it a good shake to mix everything together. You can make this ahead and let the flavors meld.


How to Make Greek Pasta Salad
- Boil the pasta in salted water according to the package instructions until it’s al dente. Drain in a colander, then rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool the pasta. Drain well and set it aside. Make the Greek salad dressing.
- Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl: pasta, cucumbers, tomato, bell pepper, red onion, feta cheese, kalamata olives and parsley. If the dressing has separated, give it a good shake before drizzling it over the salad. Toss the salad to combine.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours, for the flavors to meld. Since the pasta will absorb some of the dressing, taste the salad after refrigeration and adjust the seasoning as needed.


Pro Tip:
Cook the pasta al dente—firm but tender. Overcooked pasta can turn mushy when combined with dressing and other ingredients.

What to serve with Greek Pasta Salad
Greek Pasta Salad is perfect for summer months because it can be served cool, straight from the refrigerator. While this pasta salad is delicious and fulfilling on its own, we enjoy taking it to the next level by pairing it with some of our favorite proteins:
- Chimichurri Chicken
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin
- Grilled Shrimp Skewers
- Grilled Steak
- Garlic Lime Butter Grilled Salmon

Make-Ahead
Not only can you make this pasta salad ahead of time, it actually tastes even better the next day as the pasta absorbs the dressing, enhancing the flavors.
- Refrigerate covered for at least 30 minutes to allow the ingredients to blend together. For even more intense flavors, let it chill overnight and serve the next day.
- Store leftovers for up to three days. Because the pasta may absorb some of the dressing, give it a good stir before serving. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed for the best flavor.

With just 20 minutes of prep time (plus a 30-minute chill in the refrigerator), this Greek Pasta Salad comes together quickly and easily. Boil pasta, chop the veggies, and toss it all together faster than you can say “OPA”! It doesn’t get much easier than this!
Greek Pasta Salad Recipe

Ingredients
Greek Salad:
- 8 oz bowtie pasta, or rotini or fusili pasta
- ½ English cucumber, diced (2 cups)
- 10 oz cherry tomatoes, halved (1 ½ cups)
- 1 bell pepper, any color, seeded and chopped
- 1 small red onion, chopped (⅓ cup chopped)
- 4 oz crumbled feta, 1 cup
- ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, or added to taste, halved or coarsely chopped, plus 1 Tbsp of juice from the jar
- ¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
Greek Salad Dressing:
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3 garlic cloves, grated or minced
- 1 tsp fine sea salt, or added to taste
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ to ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to the package instructions until it's al dente. Drain in a colander, then rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool the pasta. Drain well, and set it aside.
- Make the dressing – Combine all dressing ingredients in the order they are listed in a large measuring cup and whisk to combine (or shake it up in a lidded mason jar).
- Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl: pasta, cucumbers, tomato, bell pepper, red onion, feta cheese, kalamata olives and parsley. If the dressing has separated, give it a good shake before drizzling it over the salad. Add a spoonful of juice from Kalamata olives if desired and toss the salad to combine.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to meld, or up to 24 hours. Since the pasta will absorb some of the dressing, taste the salad after refrigeration and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Fresh Salad Recipes
Salads are a wonderful way to incorporate a variety of vegetables, fruits, and other healthy ingredients into your meals. If you love this Greek Pasta Salad recipe, here are a few other fresh salad recipes you might enjoy:
- Chickpea Salad
- Caesar Salad
- Taco Salad
- Avocado Corn Salad
- Panzanella Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Caprese Salad
- Greek Salad
- Macaroni Salad
Made this today, and it was delicious. I forgot the parslwy, but will add in to the leftovers.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Loved this. My husband and son both commented how good it was. This will be made often this summer. Thank you for your continued good recipes.
Have made this several times. I do switch out green olives for the kalamata. Even my hubby loves it!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Phyllis!
Hi Natasha!
Made this gorgeous salad this week. Had enough for 2 dinners and 1 lunch for 2. Made minor changes like roasted red bell pepper and green onions, added grilled chicken and seasonned rice vinegar in the dressing. And the salad dressing was soooo good. We had enough to mop it up with a good piece of bread. What more do you want :-)))))))))
Thank you Natasha for your formidable work! Salute to your husband too!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Ginette!
Quick question what can I substitute for red wine vinegar? Cannot have wine in my diet so can I use apple cider vinegar??
Hi Sarah, I have substitution options listed in the post above in the red/pink Variations box. I hope you love the Greek Pasta Salad!
Now that summer has finally arrived, I have eaten this on repeat all week. I’m obsessed with it. I added grilled chicken and almond slivers, and it’s absolutely perfect. Perfect to pack for a beach lunch or cool dinner.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Brooke! Those sound like wonderful additions.
Hi there Natasha! This recipe came out so nicely. I will certainly be making this for our annual BBQ. I added in some bacon pieces for a meat protein and we enjoyed that too lol (bacon lovers). Thank you for all of your hard work giving us these amazing recipes, videos and books!
You’re so welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Morgan!
Good
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit. I’ll be adding it to our summer holiday get-togethers. Thank you for sharing it.
I’m so glad it was a hit, Jennifer! Thank you for your lovely review!
Can you please tell me the dimensions of that beautiful white salad bowl?
Hi Fran, its a large size bowl, I don’t recall the exact dimensions. I purchased the dish from SurlaTable when they had a store nearby but sadly it’s closed now. They may still have it online though. Thank you for such a thoughtful comment. I really appreciate the encouragement.
I doubled all the veggies and cheese and halfed the pasta. Came out AMAZING!
Ooh love it when it’s so cheesy! That sounds amazing, glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I work 3 12-hour days in a row. This is the perfect salad for my work week. I divide it into 3 bowls and add chicken. I make dressing separate and pour a third of it on a portion right before I get ready to eat it. So many ways to add variety, toasted almonds or sunflower seeds, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes. The variations are endless!
I’m so glad this works great for work lunches, Marga! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hi Natasha! I have your cookbook and LOVE your recipes! This Greek Salad looks so delicious! I’m excited to try it! One question, where did you get the beautiful white serving dish? It’s different than the bowls you have in your Amazon store. It’s the perfect bowl! Thank you for your excellent recipes and for sharing your wonderful, God-given talent of cooking 🙂
Hi, I purchased the dish from SurlaTable when they had a store nearby but sadly it’s closed now. They may still have it online though. Thank you for such a thoughtful comment. I really appreciate the encouragement.
So fresh! So easy! So delicious! I made this with a Salmon dish and together it was so good and so easy and fast to make. So light and healthy! Amazing! My family loves this Greek pasta salad! I will be making it often… all summer for sure! Natasha’s recipes are spot on in measurements and ingredients, as well as excellence in taste!
Thank you for your excellent feedback, Sharon. Appreciate it!
just finished making your Greek Pasta Salad with the dressing. It is amazing. I just put it in the refrigerator for my dinner tonight. I love your homemade Italian dressing also.
I’m so happy to hear you loved it, Kathy! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Yummy. I made this to go with ribs. Delicious. I love your recipes, they ne er fail.
I’m so glad you loved it!
I’m hosting a big Memorial Day BBQ this weekend and wanted to make the perfect pasta salad. I just made this to make sure it would turn out and it was SO GOOD!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Krissy!
I’ve tried different Greek Pasta Salad but this recipe is certainly impressive! So easy and incredibly delicious!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Sha.
Natasha’s recipes are always delicious and turn out great every time. Thank you kindly Natasha.
Dan
Thank you for your lovely comment and compliment, Dan!
this pasta salad was everything that I wanted it to be and more! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe
Hi Jess, I’m so happy to hear that you loved the Greek Pasta Salad. Thank you for the great review!