Looking for a flavor-packed side dish that is good any time of year? Your search is over with this Easy Greek Pasta Salad recipe. It's filled with flavor and easy to tailor to your own tastes. And the fact that it can be make ahead of time is the icing on the cake!
Does anyone else love pasta salads as much as I do?
This make-ahead Greek Pasta Salad recipe is one of our all time faovrite side dishes. It's easy to make, filled with flavor and goes with pretty much any main dish.
But the tangy dressing made with capers and sun-dried tomatoes is the what really sets it apart from any other salad. And because there isn't any mayo, it is great for any picnic or gathering.
Not to mention, the leftovers make a fabulous lunch. So go ahead and make a big batch and eat it all week long. You can thank me later.
Ingredients
- spiral pasta
- grape tomatoes
- kalamata olives
- feta cheese
- sun-dried tomatoes
- Parmesan
- fresh basil
But the dressing is really what sets this pasta salad apart from all of the others.
- sun-dried tomatoes
- red wine vinegar
- olive oil
- garlic clove
- capers
- pepper
Instructions
- Place the cooked pasta in a large bowl.
- Add the tomatoes, olives, feta and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
- Set aside while you make the dressing.
- Place the tomatoes, capers, garlic and vinegar in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Add the olive oil and pulse until fully incorporated.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta and stir to coat.
- Sprinkle with the Parmesan and basil and toss well.
- Serve
FAQs
You can easily make it a day ahead of time but wait to add the fresh basil. Be sure to give it a good stir to coat the pasta again before serving.
Feta not your thing? We love to use fresh mozzarella in this salad too to change things up.
You can use whatever pasta you like, but make sure it has ridges on it to catch the sauce and don't over cook the pasta. No one likes a mushy pasta salad.
Favorite Side Dish Recipes
Side dishes are what make the meal, right? Check out our other easy recipes.
- You won't believe the flavor that is packed in this Tomato, Mozzarella and Grilled Corn Salad!
- An Easy Antipasto Salad makes a fabulous appetizer for any gathering.
- Jazz up your fruit with an easy Fruit Salad with Mint.
- Looking for something gluten-free? This Tomato, Feta and Vidalia Onion Salad is one of our summer favorites.
- This sweet and salty Watermelon Feta Salad always disappears!
Recipe
Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Pasta Salad:
- ½ pound spiral pasta cooked al dente
- 1 pound grape tomatoes halved
- 1 cup kalamata olives pitted and diced
- 1 cup feta cheese crumbled
- ¾ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained and chopped
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 cup basil julienned
Dressing:
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 1 garlic clove diced
- 3 teaspoon capers drained
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
To make the Pasta Salad:
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Drain well and set aside to cool slightly. Place the pasta in a large bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, feta and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
To make the Dressing:
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, and pepper and pulse until almost smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan and basil and toss well. Stir gently before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
This Greek Pasta Salad filled with tomatoes, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese, and parmesan cheese is tossed in a tangy caper dressing! It's always one of the first salads to disappear any time we serve it!
Over complicated just throw it all in the food processor not sure why you would do both. Don't want big chunks of sun-dried tomato in there also I wouldn't use canned olives looks like that's what was used from the photo.
This Tomato Feta Pasta Salad yells Summer and all the delicious flavours of the season. Fab recipe am going to try it. Thanks for a great post. Sammie http://www.feastingisfun.com
Let us know how it turns out! It's our summer go-to recipe!
I LOVE pasta salads and I usually switch between a Greek and Italian recipe for parties. This looks delicious too!
We would eat well together! 🙂
This looks awesome! We love cold pasta salad in the summer. Pinning this to make sure I don't forget!
This salad is definitely a keeper...and a crowd pleaser!
I just made this tonight and it was a hit with my whole family. Thanks for the recipe!
Love it when it hits the jackpot with everyone! Thanks for stopping by.
This is one of my absolute favorite salads, probably the one I've made most over the years. Except I use chunked fresh mozzarella instead of feta. My family loves this as well, it's a win-win. SO GREAT to meet you girls in Austin!
Pasta salads are my favorite! I love a Greek Salad Pasta salad. I want to try this one--love the capers!
Yum! I LOVE pasta salads during summer. The heat is already unbearable here in Texas so this dish sounds like a perfect meal! I saw your beautiful picture on CCN FB page and just had to come over ;). I don't really have a recipe as I just like to dump and mix anything I have in the fridge. I should try writing it down sometime haha.
Hey ladies! I love cold pasta salads. I have one that I make up with sun dried tomatoes, pesto, kalamata olives and shredded chicken. I haven't posted it yet, but you have now inspired me to make a batch and post it soon, that is when the weather gets warm again. It's been like winter here, low 60's and foggy rain drizzle. June is known in Northern California as June gloom. Heading out to MN in August from the 3rd till the 13th. I would love to hook up with you both.
BTW, how was the blogher conference? Did you learn a ton? xoxo, Jackie