Easy Greek pasta salad with feta cheese
This Greek pasta salad sort of brings together the flavors of Greece and Italy. At least I think so. Of course it is in no way a traditional Greek salad, but this Greek pasta salad recipe is still one of my favorite recipes to make.
Greek pasta salad
Pasta is actually an ingredient that is quite often used in Greek cooking so it is not such a weird combination as you might think. It’s also a super easy pasta salad and can be used with various pasta shapes. My favorite are the orechiette pasta but this will also work really well with penne pasta or bow tie pasta. Or try rotini pasta or a whole wheat pasta if you want.
Greek flavors
Now as we speak I will be going to Greece in just a little under two weeks. A late summer trip to one of the islands. Can’t wait to soak up some sunshine as the weather here is definitely going straight into autumn. That said; this is a perfect summer pasta salad but can be eaten year round. So don’t feel you need to wait for summer to reappear to make this Greek pasta salad.
What do you need?
In order to make this easy Greek pasta salad you need the following ingredients:
- pasta obviously
- red onion
- salty feta cheese
- cherry tomatoes
- cucumber
- olives (Kalamata olives would be great here)
For the dressing I kept it simple in true Greek salad fashion and used extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, oregano (fresh oregano or dried oregano), a little bit of honey and salt and pepper. You can add red wine vinegar instead of the lemon juice if you prefer. Other than that it is a simple matter of adding all dressing ingredients together and whisking until it is combined.
Making the Greek pasta salad
Now in order to make this delicious greek pasta salad you start by taking a large pot of salted water and bringing that to the boil. Cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions, drain, rinse with cold water and leave to cool down a bit. Now add the cooled pasta to a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients to it as well.
Mix it all together and stir the dressing through. And you’re pretty much done.
Variations
There are plenty of variations to make with this pasta salad. You can add more cucumber and make it into a cucumber pasta salad. There are also various cucumbers you could use. I love the crispness that the cucumber brings to this pasta dish. You make it more into a complete meal by adding some Greek chicken to it. Greek because of the seasoning you’d be using for that. It would also be delicious with some artichoke hearts and you can vary the tomatoes by adding grape tomatoes instead of the cherry tomatoes.
I love the variety of tomatoes you can find these days, so I tend to just switch those around as I want.
Red peppers would also be delicious with this and you can add various fresh herbs. Fresh basil is always a classic and always delicious, but parsley would also be good to use. I like to vary the red peppers with green bell peppers as the flavor is different. Other fresh vegetables are also a great addition to this easy recipe.
The Greek pasta salad is delicious eaten straight away but also perfect for next day lunch. It keeps well in an airtight container and is definitely a crowd-pleasing side dish for a barbecue for instance. Or what about nice summer picnics. In general this greek salad recipe is perfect for summer months or summer parties but also great for any time of the year.
How long can I keep the pasta salad?
In an airtight container the salad will keep for a few days. I would suggest to keep the feta separate as that can get a bit messed up if you add it already to the dish. Also one thing to know; feta does have the tendency to go bad very quickly after opening the package. I like to crumble the feta and freeze it in small bags. That way it defrosts quickly and stays fresh. You can easily sprinkle it on in the morning for your salad and it will be perfectly defrosted by the time you’re ready to eat. It’s definitely one of my favorite easy lunches. You can find the full recipe in the recipe card below.
Love pasta salads?
Try these as well:
Greek pasta salad
Ingredients
- 150 gr pasta of your choice
- 100 g cherry tomatoes
- 75 g kalamata olives
- 75 g feta
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
Dressing
- 4 tbsp oliveoil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp honey
- Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water, leave to cool.
- While your pasta is boiling, cut the tomatoes into quarters, cut the cucumber into small pieces, slice the olive and slice the red onion finely. Add together in a large bowl.
- Make the dressing by combining the oliveoil, lemon juice, oregano, salt, pepper and honey together and mix well. Taste if it needs anything else.
- Add the pasta to the vegetables and add the dressing. Mix well.
- Serve with feta crumbled on top!
Nutrition Information per portion
Disclaimer
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
4 comments on “Easy Greek pasta salad with feta cheese”
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Since I do hope to visit Greece someday. I will enjoy this lovely pasta salad until that adventure occurs! Looks delicious! Hugs, Terra
I love pasta salad and it’s often a meal for me in the summer.
What fun to play with Esmee in the kitchen! I have envy. 🙂
You’re welcome to come along and play with us in the kitchen Maureen! We’ll save you a spot!
Pasta salads rock in the summer! This one looks wonderful — I love the flavors in it, and it’s so simple to make. Thanks for this.