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Greek Pasta Salad is loaded with fresh vegetables, feta cheese, and a homemade Greek dressing to create the best pasta salad you’ll ever eat. Make it for lunch or serve it as a side with dinner.
I don’t know about you, but I love having a small list of go-to recipes every season that I can can whip up for just about any occasion.
This Greek Pasta Salad is my go-to salad for birthday parties, barbecues, or even just a random Tuesday night.
Serve it up with a side of grilled chicken and you have the perfect summer weeknight dinner.
MY FAVORITE GREEK PASTA SALAD RECIPE
I love pasta salads for lunch. Whether it’s Greek Orzo Salad, Tortellini Pasta Salad, this Greek Pasta Salad, or any other pasta-and-dressing combo, I’m into it.
I love this particular pasta salad for so many reasons, but my favorite thing about it is that it feeds a crowd. So whether you want to prep a week’s worth of lunches or feed a family on a warm summer night, this pasta salad is perfect for you.
The ingredient list for this recipe may seem a little bit long, but the beauty about pasta salad recipes is that you can totally adapt them to meet your taste or the ingredients that you have on hand.
And if you have a garden, you’re golden because this one is full of fresh vegetables:
- Cherry or grape tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Red and green bell peppers
- Green onions
Go crazy with the veggies, but for the love of Pete, don’t forget the Feta. Feta cheese makes everything better, and you NEED it in this pasta salad in all its salty glory.
And no, I know. Pepperoni is not traditional in a Greek salad. You can totally leave it out if you want! But I love the flavor it adds.
If you want, you could even swap out the pepperoni for some shredded rotisserie chicken.
EASY GREEK PASTA SALAD DRESSING
The true star of this salad is the incredible homemade Greek salad dressing that pulls all of the flavors together. It creates what is, in my opinion, the best pasta salad you’ll ever eat.
To make the dressing, you’ll need:
- 1 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons Za’atar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Just add all of the dressing ingredients to a mason jar, pop on the lid, and give it a shake.
This dressing is so good that you might just want to make it and serve it over green salads, too! Save the recipe and add it to your repertoire of homemade salad dressings along with homemade blue cheese dressing and homemade ranch dressing.
WHAT IS ZA’ATAR?
Za’atar is a blend of spices such as sumac, dried oregano, sesame seeds, and more.
It is very common in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine and is delicious on eggs, chicken, hummus, labneh, and just about anything else you can think of.
Since its uses go way beyond this salad dressing, definitely take the time to pick some up for this recipe.
If you can’t find za’atar in the spice section of your grocery store, check at any Mediterranean grocery stores or specialty spice shops in your area. (You can also buy it online.)
But since za’atar does contain sesame seeds, be sure to check with your friends for any sesame allergies before serving it to them.
CAN YOU MAKE THIS PASTA SALAD THE DAY BEFORE?
Pasta salad is one of those great side dishes because you can make it ahead and just leave it until you’re ready for party time. The longer it sits, the better the flavors get.
Definitely make this Greek Pasta Salad the night or day before you are going to serve it because it just gets better when the flavors have time to develop.
Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 1 cup olive oil
- ¾ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons Za’atar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
For the Salad
- 1 pound rotini pasta cooked according to package directions
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes cut in half (you can sub in grape tomatoes)
- 1 large cucumber seeded and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 4 green onions thinly sliced
- ¾ cup Kalamata olives
- 1-1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
- 1 7- ounce pepperoni stick sliced
Instructions
- In a large Mason jar or other airtight container, combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, basil, oregano, Za’atar black pepper, and sugar. Close tightly and shake well to combine.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta, tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, green onions, olives, feta cheese and pepperoni.
- Separate and reserve ½ cup of dressing in the refrigerator.
- Toss the pasta salad with the rest of the dressing until evenly coated. Cover, and chill overnight.
- Right before serving, freshen the salad with the reserved dressing, tossing to coat.
Video
Notes
- Pasta salad is best made the night before it is served. Reserve about ½ cup of dressing in the refrigerator and freshen the salad before serving.
- This Greek Pasta Salad recipe is totally customizable. If you aren’t a fan of something on the ingredient list, substitute it with another vegetable. I have added mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and banana peppers to this recipe with great results.
- I highly recommend finding Za’atar. It’s such a great spice (a blend of sumac, sesame seeds and herbs) to have on hand.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
hi, it looks really great. I hope I can.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Emma! I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Happy Baking!
-Jamie
Great dish:) :) thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
I am obsessed with any recipe that has Kalamata Olives! This pasta salad is right up my alley! It looks amazing!
Thanks so much, Dalya!
What an amazing salad. This is perfect for dinner.
Thanks, Disha! I hope you enjoy it!
What cheese can you use to replace the feta cheese? Not a big feta or blue cheese fan.
Kristie-
I think you could add in little cubes of cheddar, mozzarella or pepperjack! Any of those would be just delicious. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
Great Recipe.
One of my favorites.
Another item that I add in mine that adds a unique texture and flavor and I think marries well is some chopped walnuts. It sounds like an odd pairing, but trust me it works.
This looks so good! I would still love the cheesecake recipe too. I will be trying the salad this weekend. Thanks!
Looking forward to trying this, he homemade greek dressing got me! Don’t have Za’atar, but will substitute as you stated above with a little added lemon zest too.