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Lemony Greek Pasta Salad

ByKristen Wood Last updated
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Prepping this delicious and lemony Greek Pasta Salad is a piece of cake! With your pasta of choice, a fantastic Greek salad dressing, and a few basic ingredients, you can easily recreate one of my favorite pasta salad recipes.

A bowl of Greek pasta salad with black olives, red onions, yellow peppers, and crumbled feta cheese, mixed with a wooden spoon.
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Who doesn’t love a good pasta? It’s filling and satisfying, whichever way you prep it! So if you’re in need of a delicious side dish or vegetarian main for potlucks, picnics, or weekday meals, my lemony Greek pasta salad recipe is a must-try. I promise you won’t regret trying something new!

Bowl of Greek orzo pasta salad with feta cheese, olives, and diced vegetables, accompanied by a wooden spoon and a lemon wedge on a marbled countertop.

Why You’ll Love It

  • Easy to make. Even if you’re not a kitchen whiz, this dish is so easy to make on your own. Boil pasta until al dente according to the instructions, add your favorite Greek dressing, and toss the other ingredients in. It’s easy-peasy!
  • Very versatile. My recipe is lovely as is, but feel free to change things as you please! Add crunchy veggies like cucumbers, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and grape tomatoes. Or make it heartier by adding garbanzo beans, or use your favorite dressing, and top it with cheese of your choice to boost the flavor even more.    
  • Incredibly healthy, especially if you pair it with a homemade dressing made from lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil! You’ll end up with a dish naturally high in vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants that may even have positive effects on your blood cholesterol. 
  • Tastes amazing, especially with its delicious Greek flavors!
  • Can be gluten-free. Use gluten-free pasta to make this side dish, and you’ll end up with a delicious and perfectly safe meal for those with gluten allergies. 
  • Can be vegan and dairy-free. Simply swap the feta for a vegan feta or omit it altogether for a still super tasty salad.
A colorful Greek pasta salad with crumbled cheese and a wooden spoon, served on a marbled surface.

Ingredient Notes

  • Your Choice of Pasta: I like to use rotini for its fun, corkscrew-like shape. The cooked dish looks so presentable to guests! But feel free to use penne, Fusilli, bowtie pasta, macaroni, or whatever kind you have available. It will still taste good.
    • And of course, you can use gluten-free pasta if necessary (I do!). 
  • Greek Salad Dressing: You can use my Greek salad dressing recipe, which uses extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, salt, and pepper. It goes SO well with this pasta salad!
    • Alternatively, use any homemade/store-bought lemony Greek dressing you may have around. The flavor will be a little different but it should still be delicious.
  • Kalamata Olives: Adds a deliciously bold and briny taste to the dish. It’s a must-add to this pasta salad for that unique Mediterranean touch! 
  • Red Onion: Adds sharpness and sweetness to every bite of the pasta salad.
    • Swap in white onion if you prefer something milder in flavor. 
  • Parsley: Lends an herbaceous taste to the dish along with beautiful specks of green. We’ll use fresh parsley for this.
    • Use fresh thyme, dill, or other fresh herbs if parsley isn’t available. 
  • Pepperoncini Peppers: Gives this pasta salad a spicy, tangy taste that goes so well with Greek dressing.  
  • Feta Cheese: Offers a rich, tangy, slightly salty flavor, and creamy texture, especially if you use high-quality cheese. It’s another must-add Greek pasta salad ingredient!
    • If you want to keep this pasta salad dairy-free or vegan, just remove this ingredient or use a dairy-free feta cheese.
Close-up of a Greek mixed bean salad topped with crumbled feta cheese.

How to Make Greek Pasta Salad

A white bowl filled with Greek pasta salad, accompanied by a half lemon and a white napkin on a light-colored surface.
A plate of Greek pasta salad with fusilli, topped with chopped red onions, olives, and yellow bell peppers, seasoned with herbs.
Top-down view of a glass of kombucha with a visible scoby, alongside a sliced lemon half on a textured surface featuring Greek pasta salad.
A bowl of Greek pasta salad with feta cheese, kalamata olives, bell peppers, and a wooden spoon, with a lemon half on the side.
  1. Cook pasta in a large pot according to package directions. Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water, then set aside.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the homemade dressing (if using).
  3. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, olives, onion, parsley, and pepperoncini.
  4. Drizzle the salad with the dressing, then toss to coat.
  5. Top with the crumbled feta cheese.
  6. Enjoy!
A plate of Greek pasta salad with red beans, yellow bell peppers, and crumbled feta cheese, garnished with sliced almonds, served on a textured beige tablecloth.

What to Serve with Pasta Salad

A large white bowl filled with pasta salad sprinkled with crumbled white feta cheese.

Storage

Store any leftovers you might have in an airtight container, then store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

If you are meal-prepping this salad ahead of time, I recommend that you keep the salad and dressing in separate containers so as to keep the pasta from getting too soggy or drenched in the sauce. 

If serving leftovers, allow the dish to stay at room temperature for a few minutes before serving to soften the pasta a bit.  

If you feel that the pasta salad has become too dry from being kept in the refrigerator (as is more common with gluten-free pasta), add some more dressing or a drizzle of olive oil to freshen it up again.  

Close-up of a Greek pasta salad with olives, red onions, feta cheese, and yellow peppers.

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A bowl of Greek pasta salad with olives, feta cheese, and red onions, mixed together with a wooden spoon.
A bowl of Greek pasta salad with black olives, red onions, yellow peppers, and crumbled feta cheese, mixed with a wooden spoon.

Greek Pasta Salad

This Greek Pasta Salad is simple to make! Just combine pasta with a great Greek dressing and some basic ingredients to enjoy this tasty dish.
4.93 from 13 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Kristen Wood

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces pasta of choice use gluten-free pasta if necessary, I like to use rotini
  • ½ cup Greek salad dressing you can use my homemade recipe (which is worth it!) or any homemade or store-bought lemony Greek-style dressing
  • 1 cup Kalamata olives sliced
  • 1 red onion diced
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
  • ½ cup pickled pepperoncini peppers chopped
  • 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese use rennet-free feta if vegetarian

Instructions

  • Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water, then it set aside.
  • While the pasta is cooking, prepare the homemade dressing (if using).
  • In a large bowl, combine the pasta, olives, onion, parsley, and pepperoncini.
  • Drizzle the salad with the dressing, then toss to coat.
  • Top with the crumbled feta cheese.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 477kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 886mg | Potassium: 135mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 621IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 171mg | Iron: 1mg
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Kristen is a writer, photographer, recipe developer, and certified functional nutrition expert. She is also the author of Fermented Hot Sauce Cookbook, Vegetarian Family Cookbook, and Hot Sauce Cookbook for Beginners. Her work has been featured in various print and online publications including Elle, NBC, Chicago Sun-Times, Martha Stewart, MSN, New York Daily News, Healthline, and many more. Kristen is also a syndicated writer for The Associated Press.

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