Greek Pasta Salad with Feta Cheese Recipe (2024)

In this post, we’ll show you how to make Greek Pasta Salad with Feta Cheese. This colorful, fresh pasta salad makes a wonderful BBQ, or cookout salad that you can easily make or prep ahead of time. Loaded with vibrant flavor thanks to the homemade Greek dressing, this recipe is incredibly easy and a crowd-pleaser!

Freshly chopped vegetables and cooked rotini pasta, and homemade Greek dressing come together to make this summer salad staple. The addition of the salty, flavorful feta cheese adds a nice tang to this scrumptious side dish. We personally love to make this on Sundays for weekday meal prep since it lasts a good 4-5 days!

Ingredients

Before starting this recipe, you’ll want to verify that you have the following ingredients:

Salad

• Rotini Pasta – We like the rotini shape for this pasta salad, but you can use pretty much any you prefer. The pasta shape is very forgiving in this recipe.
• Feta cheese – This cheese gives this salad a nice salty tang.
• Onion – Purple onion adds flavor and a nice bite to this salad.
• Red Pepper – Sweet red bell pepper adds a sweet flavor thanks to its red color.
• Cucumbers –
• Tomatoes – Grape tomatoes add a nice color and flavor. You can use a variety of colors ranging from yellow to red in this recipe for a variant of color and sweet flavor.
• Kalamata Olives – A salty, briny olive that is traditionally found in Mediterranean dishes. These are optional but worth it!
• Basil – Fresh basil adds a sweet, vibrant flavor and complements the fresh Greek dressing.
• Spice – Fresh cracked black pepper adds some tasty flavor.

Greek Dressing

• Fresh garlic– We used 2 small cloves since we love fresh garlic for its taste and health benefits.
• Extra virgin olive oil– a quality brand will really make a difference.
• Red wine vinegar– this acid provides flavor and cuts the oil.
• Fresh lemon juice– Adds flavor and additional acid.
• Dijon mustard– provides flavor and a nice spice kick.
• Oregano– this dried spice adds to the iconic taste this dressing boasts.
• Salt & pepper– because every good dressing needs these classic spices.
• Basil – A little chopped basil add a nice touch (optional)
• Shallots – Adds a nice flavor and texture (optional)

Equipment and Supplies Needed

We used the following equipment and supplies to make this recipe. Items that are optional or can be substituted will be noted.

• Cutting board – To chop/dice the herbs and veggies.
• Stock pot – A 6-quart stockpot to boil your pasta until al dente.
• Colander – to strain pasta and washed vegetables.
• Garlic press – To get all those lovely oils from your fresh garlic cloves.
• Chef’s knife – To chop/dice the herbs and veggies.
• Mixing bowl/serving bowls – To mix/store your salad.

Directions

Prepare dressing ingredients and whisk them together. Store dressing in an airtight container, or dressing holder and store it in the fridge.

Bring a stockpot with water to a boil, and cook pasta according to the package instructions. Once done, rinse pasta with cool water, and strain in the colander.

Add all the chopped veggies to the pasta as well as the cheese, and dressing; toss to combine.

Store the salad in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to fully marinade.

Recipe Tips

This recipe is easy to make if you know the right tips and tricks! Here are my tips for ensuring your Greek Pasta Salad comes out perfectly.

Cheese

You can use traditional crumbled feta, reduced fat/fat-free feta, goat cheese, or even cubed mozzarella cheese or mini pearls in this recipe. While feta is the traditionally Mediterranean pasta salad option the others work well too.

Pasta

While we used rotini style pasta, you can use your favorite shape, or variety including whole wheat. The shape is very forgiving and will not make or break this meal.

Olives

If you do not like olives, you can skip them altogether. Additionally, you can use black sliced olives as well if that is all you have.

Dressing

You can prepare this fresh Greek dressing recipe, or use bottled dressing which will also work well.

Storage

If you want to store your Greek Pasta Salad with Feta, just follow these easy steps.

This recipe will last up to 5 days when stored properly in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You may need to remix the salad to incorporate the flavors.

More Summer Pasta Salad Recipes

• Chicken Bowtie Pasta Salad
• Crab Pasta Salad
• Shrimp Pesto Pasta Salad
• Vegetable Quinoa Pasta Salad

Recipe

Follow the recipe below to make Greek Pasta Salad. This recipe makes 16 SERVINGS, but you can adjust the recipe card for other serving sizes.