5 Star Reader Comment
This was absolutely delicious and easy!!! Your salad dressings are the best and this pasta salad deserves 10 stars. I had bow tie pasta on hand and it’s looked so pretty in the big glass serving dish (but it was gone in a flash..everyone raved about it).
Mari Ann
This Is The Pasta Salad Of Your Dreams
You all already know it, salads are kinda of my thing. And, this one is without a doubt one of my favorites. Juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, salty feta — all the good stuff tossed with my homemade dressing – Y’all, this is the pasta salad you’ve been craving.
My Mediterranean-inspired salad is easy, fresh, and it’s proof that simple ingredients really do shine when you let them.
Enjoy!
Donya’s Tips For The Best Pasta Salad
- Cook the pasta just to al dente: Pull it from the water when it still has a little bite. Once it chills and soaks up the dressing, soft pasta turns to mush — and nobody wants that.
- Salt the pasta water generously: This is your one real shot at seasoning the pasta itself. Water should taste like the ocean!
- Rinse with cold water right away: The moment you drain the pasta, run it under cold water to stop the cooking and cool it down fast. This keeps it firm and prevents it from clumping together in the bowl.
- Dress it in two rounds: Toss the pasta and vegetables with about two-thirds of the dressing first. Save the rest to add right before serving — pasta absorbs dressing as it chills, and that second round brings everything back to life.
- Soak the red onion if you want a gentler bite: Red onion can be sharp. If you prefer a milder flavor, place the sliced onion in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes, then drain before adding it to the salad.
- Add the feta last, and fold — don’t toss: Feta is soft and crumbles easily. If you stir too aggressively, it disappears into the dressing instead of staying in little creamy pockets throughout the salad.
Pasta salad lovers, make my Greek Pasta Salad and Caprese Pasta Salad – they are easy and loaded with flavor!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pasta – Short pasta like rotini, penne, or farfalle holds the dressing well. Cook until al dente so it doesn’t get mushy. Gluten-free pasta works great, too.
- Cherry Tomatoes – Sweet and juicy, they add a pop of color and freshness.
- Cucumbers – Crisp and refreshing. English or mini cucumbers work great.
- Red Onion – Adds a little bite and crunch. Pro tip: soak slices in cold water for 10 minutes if you want to mellow the flavor.
- Spinach – Baby spinach mixes in easily and adds a boost of greens without overpowering.
- Olives – A mix of black and green olives gives are briny, salty, and tangy all in one bite. Kalamata olives are also a great choice.
- Feta Cheese – Creamy, salty, and classic in Mediterranean recipes. Crumble it yourself from a block for the best texture.
- Mediterranean Pasta Salad Dressing: I use my Greek Salad Dressing recipe, which is good as a dressing and as a marinade.
Endless Options: How to Customize This Cold Pasta Salad
- Greens – Swap spinach for arugula or romaine.
- Protein – Add leftover roasted chicken, shrimp(my Cajun shrimp is so good!), or pan roasted chickpeas for a heartier meal.
- Veggies – Try bell peppers, zucchini, or artichokes for more crunch and color.
- Cheese – Goat cheese or fresh mozzarella pearls are delicious instead of feta.
- Dressing – Substitute Greek dressing for one of my other homemade dressings.
How To Make Cold Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- Cook the pasta – Boil in salted water until al dente, then drain and rinse under cold water.
- Prep the vegetables – Slice tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, and olives. Add spinach to a large bowl.
- Mix it up – Add pasta, vegetables, and olives to the bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss until coated.
- Add feta – Gently fold in crumbled feta. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
- Chill or serve – Serve right away or cover and refrigerate until ready.
Make It Ahead and Show Up Ready
This is one of the best recipes to have in your back pocket when you’re hosting a cookout or heading to a potluck. I make it the night before almost every time.
Wait to add feta until serving day — If you’re making this more than a few hours ahead, you can hold the feta separately and fold it in right before serving. This keeps the cheese in distinct creamy crumbles instead of blending into the dressing.
Make it up to 24 hours ahead — Assemble the full salad, toss with most of the dressing, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. The pasta absorbs all that herbaceous, tangy dressing as it chills and the flavors deepen beautifully.
Hold back some dressing — Reserve a few tablespoons of the Greek dressing separately in the fridge. Stir it into the salad right before serving to freshen everything up and bring back the bright, glossy coating.
Store leftovers for up to 3 days — Keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Give the salad a good toss before serving again since the dressing settles to the bottom as it sits.
More Pasta Salad Recipes You’ll Love
Equipment
Ingredients
Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- 12 ounces pasta
- 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
- 1 cup sliced and quartered cucumbers
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 cup baby spinach
- ½ cup sliced pitted green olives
- ½ cup sliced pitted black olives
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ to ¾ cup Homemade Greek Salad Dressing
Greek Salad Dressing
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 large clove minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- To a pot of salted boiling water, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Add pasta, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, spinach, and olives to a large bowl. Drizzle on about ½ cup of Greek Salad Dressing and toss all ingredients. Add feta cheese and more dressing plus salt and pepper if desired and toss until just combined. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Greek Salad Dressing
- Add all ingredients to a bowl or a jar with a lid and whisk/shake until blended.
Video
Nutrition
What To Serve With Mediterranean Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is perfect to serve with Oven Fried Chicken, Roasted Pork Tenderloin or Crock Pot Beef Roast. It makes a great soup and salad combo with Roasted Cabbage Soup and Parmesan Cheese Straws. And for lunch, I don’t think it gets any better than pasta salad with feta and a slice of Sausage Cheese Bread.
Commonly Asked Questions
Yes, this is an excellent recipe to make ahead of time. Cover and store in the fridge for up to 3 days before serving. Let it come to room temperature before serving.
Short pasta shapes like rotini, penne, or farfalle work well because they hold onto the dressing. Avoid spaghetti or linguine, which don’t mix and hold up as easily.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Toss before serving since some of the dressing may have settled on the bottom of the container.
If you tried this Mediterranean Pasta Salad Recipe or any other recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks!
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Yum loved it
Hey there!
Yayyy! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, it’s super simple to make and great to serve for so many different occasions. Thank you so much for your fantastic rating and for your kind words, I appreciate your support!
~Donya
Loved this pasta salad. The dressing was a bit tangly for me so I added a bit of maple syrup and it was perfect!
Hey there Christy!
Thank you so much for your kind words and for your fantastic rating, I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! I am a big fan of making recipes work for you and for your tastes, so adding maple syrup was a great idea to sweeten up the dressing a little bit, I bet that was delicious. I really appreciate your support, if you ever have any questions about a recipe, please don’t hesitate to ask!
~Donya
Absolutely DELISH! It was a huge hit for our guest and now I’m going to make it again for my husbands big birthday party. This time I’ll try making it ahead so I have less to do on the day of the party! Thanks for sharing this REALLY good recipe. The dressing is AWESOME!!!!!
Hey there Pamela!
Wow! Reading this has made my day, I am so happy to hear that everyone enjoyed this recipe! You’ve got the right idea making this salad ahead of time, honestly I think it tastes better after sitting in the fridge marinating in that dressing for a day. Plus, making this ahead will really free up your time to spend with your husband and loved ones. Thank you so much for your kind words and this fantastic rating, I really appreciate all your support!
~Donya
Delicious salad, second time I have made it. Also added beets.
The dressing is very good & useful in other recipes.
Hey there Trish!
Thank you so much for your kind words, I am so happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying this dish! I completely agree with you, the dressing on this salad is so versatile, you can use it in so many other recipes. Adding beets was a terrific idea, I bet they added a wonderful texture to the salad, I’m definitely going to give that a try. I really appreciate your support, if you ever have any questions about a recipe I would be more than happy to help!
~Donya
I loved this Pasta Salad! I happened to have the ingredients in my fridge and thought I would make it. It came out great! My neighbor loved it too!
I used Italian dressing instead of the Greek dressing. I will definitely make it again.
Hey there Susan!
Wow! I am thrilled to hear that y’all enjoyed this recipe, I bet using Italian Dressing in this was absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with this recipe, I really appreciate your kind words of support!
~Donya
This looks yummy! Any ideas of a substitute for the cucumber? I have a few kids who aren’t cucumber fans.
Hey there Shannon!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, I think you’re really going to love it! One of the best parts of this recipe is that you can tailor it to your own tastes. If your kids aren’t huge cucumber fans then I would recommend simply doubling the amount of another ingredient in the salad that they love. One of my sons isn’t a cucumber fan either, so when I make it for him I put in twice the written amount of olives because he loves those. I hope this is helpful, please let me know how everything turns out!
~Donya
This looks tasty. Adding this to our menu planning.
Hey there Keira!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, I think you’re really going to love it! It’s super versatile so you can pair it with just about any main dish from chicken to fish. Let me know how everything turns out if you give it a try, I’d love to hear what you think, I hope you enjoy!
~Donya
Fantastic recipe and it is healthy! Everyone love it at my house!
Hey there!
I am so happy to hear that everyone enjoyed this recipe, it’s a great fresh salad to serve at any occasion! If you liked this Mediterranean Pasta Salad then you should check out my Caprese Pasta Salad, it’s just as easy to make and it has some fantastic flavors. Thank you so much for your kind words and your phenomenal rating, I appreciate your support! ~Donya
This looks srumcious! I do have one question-my family are not fans of olives-what can I use as a substitute?
Hey there Wendy!
Thank you so much or your interest in this pasta salad and for your fantastic rating, I think you’re really going to enjoy the recipe! If your family aren’t fans of olives, I would recommend simply doubling the measurement of a different ingredient. If you guys really like tomatoes, feta or cucumbers, you can simply use more of the ingredients y’all really enjoy instead of substituting a new one for the olives. One of my sons isn’t much of a tomato fan so I usually add in extra cucumber. I hope this is helpful, let me know how everything turns out, I really hope you enjoy!
~Donya
Whats the breakdown of calories etc on this meal. Protein carbs fat?
Hey there!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, it makes a wonderful salad for spring and summer! I do not offer nutritional calculations for my recipes, but if you click the link at the bottom of this comment, it will take you to a recipe calculator. You will be able to copy and paste the ingredients in this recipe into the calculator and it should give you all the information you need. I hope this helps, let me know how the pasta salad works out, I hope you enjoy!
https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
~Donya
This sounds so delicious. Can it be made with whole wheat pasta?
Hey there Susan!
Thank you so much for your sweet words and your interest in this recipe, I think you’re going to love it! You can absolutely use whole wheat pasta in this Mediterranean Pasta Salad, I actually prefer whole wheat noodles in this dish. With most, if not all, of my pasta salad recipes, you can substitute any kind of noodle you like. Sometimes I’ll even make this salad with tortellini and it becomes a whole meal. I hope you enjoy the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions!
~Donya
I made the pasta salad for our annual Easter get together. I had to come back to the site with the recipe because I have to print copies for all of the people who asked me how I made it! I prepared it the day before so I did use most of the dressing as it does absorb it. It was not oily at all. Thanks for sharing, it is a keeper.
Hey there Beth!
Oh my goodness, reading this has made my day! I am so pleased to hear that everyone enjoyed this recipe, preparing the day before is always a great idea, I honestly think it tastes better after sitting in the fridge overnight. Thank you so very much for your kind words and for sharing my recipe, as well as leaving this fantastic rating, I really appreciate your support! If you ever have any questions about a recipe please don’t hesitate to ask!
~Donya
This looks delicious and I can’t wait to try. Do you know the nutrition I do for it by chance?
Hey there Mandy!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe! I do not usually provide the nutritional information for each recipe, but if you copy and paste the ingredients into the link below, it will provide you with all the nutritional info you’re looking for. I hope this helps, let me know how everything turns out, enjoy the recipe!
https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
~Donya