Greek Pasta Salad

This delicious cold pasta salad recipe is full of flavor from bell pepper, cucumber, lemon, and dill! Top this Greek Pasta Salad with a creamy yogurt dressing and it’s going to be your new favorite pasta salad for BBQ’s, potlucks and parties!

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In the movie As Good As It Gets Jack Nicholson said it best: “Good times, noodle salad”. The words ring true because the two really do go hand in hand, don’t they? A big bowl of pasta salad shared at a potluck, BBQ, picnic, pool party, or any other get-together involving friends, fun, and sunshine is a wonderful thing. I mean, the happiness is mixed right in.

This Greek Pasta Salad is total happiness in a bowl for your taste buds! I love the amazing flavors from bell peppers, lemon, dill and cucumbers plus that creamy yogurt dressing is the perfect finishing touch. It’s always the first thing I dive into at any gathering, piling it high on my plate without a care that I should take only my fair share. I’ll never turn down a good pasta salad.

Why You’ll Love Greek Pasta Salad

• This simple dish is loaded with so much flavor! Tangy Greek yogurt and lemon juice, delicious herbs and seasonings, crunchy veggies — it doesn’t get much better than that.
• Make a big ol’ bowl of pasta salad in under a half hour. Quick, easy and oh so tasty.
• Pasta salads are an easily shareable dish. Everyone loves them and you can easily make a huge batch to serve a lot of guests!

Ingredients for Greek Pasta Salad

• Fusilli pasta – We love this type of pasta, but you can use any pasta that has nooks and crannies to trap the dressing. Rotini, cavatappi or bowtie pasta all work well for this Greek pasta salad recipe.
• Olive Oil – Extra-virgin olive oil will provide the best flavor as a base for the homemade Greek salad dressing that you’ll drizzle over the pasta salad ingredients.
• Greek yogurt – Make this easy Greek pasta salad creamy and delicious with some Greek yogurt. The slight tangy flavor is so tasty!
• Mayonnaise – This is key in making the most creamy and flavorful Greek pasta salad.
• Lemon – Squeeze a fresh lemon, don’t by the bottle concentrate. Trust me, fresh lemon juice is so much better!
• Fresh Herbs – A mixture of dill, parsley and chives gives this recipe so much flavor.
• Vegetables – I use both diced cucumber and red bell pepper. I recommend using an English cucumber.
• Feta Cheese – Use a block of feta cheese packed in brine. Pre-crumbled feta cheese is often coated with cornstarch and other ingredients to prevent it from sticking together, therefore it doesn’t taste as fresh.

How to Make Greek Pasta Salad

1. Bring a pot of water to boil and then cook pasta noodles al dente according to package instructions.
2. Once cooked, drain the water, rinse with cold water, and then spread the pasta out onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat, then place the pasta in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
3. Dice up the veggies while you wait for the pasta to cool, then mix together all of the ingredients for the homemade greek dressing.
4. When it’s time to serve this dish, mix everything together and toss to evenly coat in the dressing.
5. Then serve immediately and enjoy!

How to Store Pasta Salad

For best results, serve this dish fresh! However, if you have leftovers you can transfer them to an airtight container or cover the bowl tightly in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for 1-2 days.

If the salad starts to dry out a bit, you can add some more extra virgin olive oil to each serving and stir it around to help reconstitute the dressing.

What can I add to Greek pasta Sald?

Some grilled chicken mixed into this dish can magically turn it into a quick meal! Great for make ahead lunches during the summer!

You can also add more yummy veggies into the mix. Some chopped red onions, kalamata olives and cherry tomatoes would all be tasty. Add extra flavor with some fresh herbs too.

Do I need to salt pasta water?

Yes! Make sure you salt the pasta water. Since this salad is eaten cold, the flavors can often be muted. Salted water will help bring out flavors and makes the pasta taste so much better. I personally think that salted water also helps the pasta cook to a better texture too!

How do you make pasta salad not soggy?

Cooking the pasta al dente and then immediately tossing in olive oil and chilling it will help keep the salad from becoming soggy. Chilling the pasta helps stop the cooking process. And tossing it in olive oil keeps the pasta from sticking together.

What to Serve with this Greek Pasta Salad Recipe

Pair this yummy salad with grilled chicken! This BBQ Chicken Marinade makes incredible chicken that would go so well with this pasta salad. Some grilled lemon chicken is tasty too.

Finger lickin’ good honey garlic drumsticks are a family favorite. Grab your griddle and make delicious steaks on it and serve up some yummy pasta salad. This is also a great side for simple dinners like parmesan crusted chicken or baked chicken thighs.

This is the easiest cold pasta salad recipe ever with such amazing flavor! If you love this salad, you’ll definitely want to try this Greek Salad Recipe!

More Pasta Salad Recipes!

• My Italian Pasta Salad has so much flavor and is so easy to make. Another summer staple.
• If you love Caesar salad, then you have to try my Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad.
• Macaroni Salad is a classic that everyone should know how to make. It’s so tasty!
• This Shrimp Pasta Salad is perfect for seafood lovers. It’s so easy to make too.

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!

 

5 from 17 votes

Greek Pasta Salad

This delicious cold pasta salad recipe is full of flavor from bell pepper, cucumber, lemon, and dill! Top this cold pasta salad with a creamy Greek yogurt dressing.

Prep:15 minutes mins

Cook:10 minutes mins

Total:25 minutes mins

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound fusilli pasta
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 cup Greek yogurt
• ▢ ¼ cup mayonnaise see note
• ▢ Juice from 1/2 a lemon
• ▢ ½ Tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 large cucumber diced
• ▢ 1 large red bell pepper diced
• ▢ 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Boil the pasta according to package directions. Drain it well, toss it with the olive oil, and spread it in an even layer on a baking sheet. Chill the pasta in the refrigerator for at least 20-30 minutes.
• Mix the yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, dill, parsley, chives and salt in a medium bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator to all the flavors to develop.
• When ready to serve, mix the pasta, dressing, cucumber, bell pepper, and feta cheese together in a large bowl. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Tips

For best results, serve this dish fresh! However, if you have leftovers you can transfer them to an airtight container or cover the bowl tightly in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for 1-2 days.

If the salad starts to dry out a bit, you can add some more extra virgin olive oil to each serving and stir it around to help reconstitute the dressing.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 277kcal (14%), Carbohydrates: 36g (12%), Protein: 10g (20%), Fat: 9g (14%), Saturated Fat: 3g (19%), Cholesterol: 16mg (5%), Sodium: 446mg (19%), Potassium: 204mg (6%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 3g (3%), Vitamin A: 505IU (10%), Vitamin C: 16.8mg (20%), Calcium: 110mg (11%), Iron: 0.8mg (4%)

© Julie's Eats & Treats ®

We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box is calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.