This easy Greek pasta salad is the perfect light summer lunch - it's packed with traditional Greek salad flavors and maintains a delicious balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Plus, you can prep everything else while the pasta is cooking, so it's ready in less than 15 minutes. This is a great lunch to meal prep and enjoy cold, or a side salad for pairing with other main dishes for a bigger meal.

I love serving this simple Greek pasta salad with a range of dips and flatbreads - such as this gorgeous baba ganoush, and creamy hummus. You could also serve this salad as a side dish with other Greek dishes, such as butter beans and lemon-roasted potatoes.

For more salad recipes, try this Italian chopped salad with chickpeas, this Mediterranean lentil salad, or this potato and green bean salad. This traditional Greek salad is also delicious, especially served alongside some creamy tzatziki!

For something a little more "hearty", give this Greek-inspired lemon chickpea soup a try.

Ingredient Notes

The exact quantities of the ingredients needed for this recipe are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. 

Here, I've added a few notes on the ingredients you need, plus a few potential substitutions you could make if you can't eat/find a certain ingredient.

• Pasta: I used fusilli pasta for this recipe, as it's easy to cook and works well in a pasta salad. Feel free to use whatever pasta shape you prefer, though! I think the bow-tie shaped pasta (farfelle) or shells work well.
  
• Feta: Use a vegan feta to make this recipe plant-based, or your favorite brand of feta cheese. Get your feta in a block and crumble it yourself if possible for the best flavor.
  
• Salad: I used all the traditional Greek salad vegetables in this recipe, so: cucumber, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, green pepper, and some fresh parsley. We've also got some sun-dried tomatoes for extra flavor!
  
• Chickpeas: While not essential, chickpeas do give this Greek pasta salad a good boost of protein (perfect if you're having it as a standalone meal). You can either stir them in as they are or roast them for 20 minutes to add some crunch to your salad. You could also add in some vegan chicken or even some air-fried tofu instead.
  
• Dressing: This Greek pasta salad has a simple dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano. You don't need much more as the other ingredients in the salad speak for themselves!

Variations & Substitutions

If you want to add or replace something in this recipe, here are a few ideas:

• No Pasta: If you want a Greek salad but without the pasta, you could swap it out for quinoa, cous cous, orzo, or even some crispy Greek potatoes! Or, just omit the pasta for a simple Greek salad.
  
• More Protein: For more protein, you could add baked tofu or more chickpeas. You could also add in a meat substitute, like vegan chicken - or if you're a meat eater, add in some shredded chicken.
  
• More Vegetables: Another delicious variation for this recipe would be to add in some roasted vegetables. Roast peppers, zucchini, red onion, and tomatoes and stir them in with the pasta, feta, chickpeas, and dressing for a warm and flavorful Greek pasta salad alternative.

How To Make This Simple Greek Pasta Salad

Again, the exact step-by-step instructions and ingredient quantities will be in the recipe card at the bottom of this page. 

Below is an overview of making this recipe, plus some process shots to help you visualize how this recipe should turn out.

Step 1) Assemble Your Ingredients

I prefer to have all the ingredients prepped and chopped before I begin assembling the salad. Dice all your vegetables finely, crumble the feta, and cook (and cool) your pasta. 

Step 2) Make Your Dressing

Make the dressing by adding all ingredients to a jar and giving it a good shake. Taste your dressing and adjust the ingredients based on your preferences.

Step 3) Assemble Your Salad

Add all of the salad ingredients to a large bowl, drizzle over your salad dressing, and toss the salad. 

Top Tips \ Chef's Notes

• If you're planning on making this Greek pasta salad in bulk to eat throughout the week, or are preparing it ahead of time, I would recommend reserving the dressing and only adding it once you're ready to eat in order to avoid the salad going soggy.
  
• You may want to add your crumbled feta after tossing the salad in the dressing, as I find it can disintegrate a little otherwise (still delicious and perfectly edible, just less aesthetic!)
  
• This salad can definitely be enjoyed warm, by simply adding the pasta to the salad when it's still hot and adding warm, crispy baked chickpeas! Just be aware that this may cause the salad vegetables to wilt if you're not eating the salad immediately.
  
• This Greek pasta salad recipe is completely vegan-friendly if you use vegan feta. 

Storage

Store your leftover Greek pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I would recommend storing the dressing separately and only adding to the salad when you are planning to eat it in order to avoid the pasta salad going soggy.

How To Serve

This Greek pasta salad is delicious as a main meal or lunch as it is - although you could add your protein of choice for a more nutritionally balanced meal.

You could also serve this pasta salad as a side dish, along with other Greek or Mediterranean-inspired dishes, such as:

• Greek Fries
• Greek Baked Feta Orzo
• Greek Vegetarian Gyros
• Greek Roasted Potatoes and Whipped Feta

For more salad inspiration, try this gorgeous Vegetarian Caesar Salad!

FAQs

What is the best type of pasta for a pasta salad?

Use whichever pasta shape you prefer most - here, I've used fusilli pasta. Just make sure you cool the pasta quickly after cooking by running it under cold water before adding to the salad.

Can I eat Greek pasta salad warm?

Yes, you could add stir hot pasta through the dish if you want to enjoy it warm. I would only make enough to eat immediately upon serving though, as the vegetables will wilt with hot pasta and won't be good to save as leftovers.

What is a traditional Greek salad?

A traditional Greek salad has ingredients that are popular in Greek cuisine; tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, feta, and olives. It is often dressed with a simple vinaigrette with oregano, lemon juice, and olive oil. This Greek pasta salad has all of those components, but with pasta added too.