Recipe: Greek Pasta Salad
An easy recipe for a Greek-inspired pasta salad that's filled with tomatoes, cucumbers, Kalamata olives, and feta and dressed in a tangy oregano vinaigrette.
Serves8 to 10
Prep10 minutes
Cook6 minutes
Take all the bright, vibrant flavors of a classic Greek salad — the juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, sharp red onion, briny Kalamata olives, and salty feta cheese — and toss it with al dente shells and you’ve got summer’s new favorite pasta salad.
It’s hard to beat the fresh, crisp goodness of this simple pasta salad. While it’s easy to enjoy all year long, it tastes especially great during the hot and sticky days of summer. A fragrant oregano vinaigrette ties the colorful ingredients together to ensure it’s as Greek-leaning as possible.
The result is a side dish that’s fit for whatever the season brings, be it barbecues, potlucks, or picnics. Just don’t forget to put some aside for lunch, since it packs up well for a light meal to enjoy at your desk.
Chopped Pasta Salad — It’s a Thing
What makes this pasta salad stand out in the crowd is how it’s prepared. Pasta salads are often a total free-for-all, with veggies and cheese cut into all sorts of shapes and sizes and tossed with awkwardly shaped noodles. But this one takes inspiration from easy-to-eat chopped salads. The ingredients are all chopped to match the size of the small noodles, allowing you to scoop up everything in one go. You’ll thank us when you’re eating this off a wobbly paper plate in the backyard or the park.
Like all good pasta salads, this one improves if it sits for 20 minutes before serving (and gets even better overnight in the fridge). That allows all the bold flavors to mix, mellow, and meld, which ensures you have a dish that everyone is going to want seconds of.
Greek Pasta Salad
An easy recipe for a Greek-inspired pasta salad that's filled with tomatoes, cucumbers, Kalamata olives, and feta and dressed in a tangy oregano vinaigrette.
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 6 minutes
Serves 8 to 10
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons
olive oil
- 2 tablespoons
red wine vinegar, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon
freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 1
small clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon
dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon
kosher salt, plus more as needed
Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound
dry, small pasta, such as shells, ditalini, or elbows
- 1
medium cucumber, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2
medium tomatoes, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1
small red onion, diced
- 1 cup
pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
- 8 ounces
feta cheese
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper together in a large bowl. Set aside.
Add the pasta to the water and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and run briefly under cool water to cool the pasta down. Drain well again.
Add the pasta, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, and olives to the bowl of dressing. Toss thoroughly to combine. Crumble the feta into the salad and toss again. Let sit 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow the flavors to meld. Taste and season with more salt, pepper, or vinegar as needed.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The pasta salad can be made a day ahead and refrigerated overnight. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to take the chill off before serving.
Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.