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Greek pasta salad is the perfect summer salad! It’s fresh, delicious, easy to make, and a real crowd pleaser!
Do you love both Greek salad AND pasta salad? Then this combination will blow your mind! It’s the ultimate combination of both and a variation of his beloved Chopped Greek Salad Recipe! It’s undeniably delicious.
Cooked pasta tossed with tomatoes, cucumber, olives, bell pepper, red onion, parsley, and a zingy dressing: 100% vegan!
Greek pasta salad dressing is a light dressing with extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, and a few more spices to taste.
I love how fresh this salad tastes. And it’s a welcome change to this well known Italian pasta salad or this creamy macaroni salad.
Trust me when I tell you that people love it. You can serve it as a side dish with grilled food or as a light stand-alone summer meal.
Furthermore, this crowd-pleaser can easily be prepared one day in advance without getting mushy. Store it in your fridge, and it will taste as good as freshly prepared. Perfect for bringing along to any summer party!
Are you are looking for a healthy Greek pasta salad? Swap the regular pasta with wholegrain, spelt, lentil, or chickpea pasta.
Seed Your Cucumbers
To prevent the salad from becoming too watery and tasting bland, I recommend seeding the cucumber. Cucumber seeds consist mainly of water, which we do not necessarily want in this salad.
Seeding Cucumbers is super simple:
- Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise.
- Spoon out the seeds using a spoon. → This works best with a small spoon with sharp edges.
- Ready! Chop the cucumber into small cubes!
Tip: It is not necessary to peel the cucumber. But if you prefer to do so, go ahead and peel it.
The Best Olives
An important ingredient of this chopped Greek salad are the olives! They give this salad a unique flavor and add some extra saltiness.
But not all olives do taste the same, and there are certainly some huge differences in quality. To make the best out of this salad, I highly recommend using Kalamata olives! Those are the best ones you can get and my personal favorite.
I always choose Kalamata olives over every other type of olives. They have a dark, slightly purple color, and the taste is just astonishing.
But hey, I get that everybody has another taste. So if you happened to have another favorite type of olives, go with them. Dark olives tend to go better with Greek salads than green ones.
Make sure to buy already pitted olives. This saves you the tedious process of pitting.
By the way, you do not have to wash them. The saltiness gives this salad an excellent taste.
Greek Pasta Salad Recipe – Tips & Tricks
Making this Greek pasta salad is undeniable easy! → But hey, make sure to check out the recipe video to see how easy it is!
Can I prepare this salad in advance? Absolutely, this salad is perfect for preparing in advance. Store it in an airtight container or a large bowl covered with a plastic wrap and keep it refrigerated. Take the salad half an hour before serving out of the fridge.
How long does it keep fresh? For a good 2 days stored in the refrigerator.
Do you like feta? If so, add a handful of chopped or crumbled feta to the salad. Use this vegan feta cheese recipe to make it vegan!
Is there an ingredient in this salad you don’t like? Then leave it out. This salad is very forgivable. Not everyone in my family likes olives, cucumber, or peppers. If you know those struggles within your family, mix the cooked pasta with the dressing and place all the chopped ingredients next to it. So everyone can mix it to suit their own taste. Problem solved! 😉
Which parsley should I use? It tastes best with Italian flat-leaf parsley. But you can also use curly parsley if that’s the only one you have available. No big deal!
Do you like sun-dried tomatoes? If so, add some chopped sun-dried tomatoes to this salad.
More Salad Recipes You’ll Love:
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📖 Recipe
Greek Pasta Salad
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Ingredients
Salad
- 7 oz (200 g) pasta fusilli, bow tie, or pasta of choice
- 1 large tomato chopped
- ½ cucumber seeded & chopped
- ¼ bell pepper color of choice, diced
- ½ cup (75 g) Kalamata olives pitted & halved
- ½ small red onion finely chopped
- ½ cup Italian Parsley flat-leaf, finely chopped
Dressing
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 small garlic clove pressed or minced
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes optional
- black pepper and salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions in boiling salt water until al dente. Drain, toss with some olive oil if desired, and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop the vegetables and mix all ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl.
- Combine everything in a large serving bowl and toss until well combined.
Notes
- Seed Cucumber: Cucumbers contain a large amount of water which can make a salad watery and therefore bland. To avoid that, seed the cucumber prior to chopping it. The easiest way to seed a cucumber is if you spoon out the seeds using a small spoon (preferably with sharp edges).
- Olives: Kalamata olives are one of the best and most flavorful olives you can get. Feel free to substitute with other olives you like. I always buy them pitted. No need to wash the olives, the saltiness ads some extra flavor.
- Salad Variations: Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes or chopped/crumbled feta cheese. Use this vegan tofu feta cheese to make it vegan.
- Leftovers & Make Ahead: This salad can be stored for up to two days in the fridge. Store it in an airtight container and let it sit for 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.
