Go Back

Greek Pasta Salad with Feta Cheese

Greek pasta salad with feta cheese tossed in a tangy Greek-style dressing. Cool, rinse-washed penne with cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, red onion, and crumbled feta makes a bright Mediterranean salad.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Greek
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta salad base
  • 1 lb penne or rotini pasta
  • 2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 large cucumber, diced
  • 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
  • 0.5 cup red onion, thinly sliced
  • 8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
Greek dressing
  • 0.25 cup olive oil
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 0.25 salt to taste
  • 0.25 pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Cook and cool the pasta
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the penne or rotini pasta according to package directions, until al dente. Drain and immediately rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and cool the pasta quickly.
Make the Greek dressing
  1. In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, dried oregano, salt, and pepper until the mixture looks evenly combined and aromatic. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
Assemble the salad
  1. In a large bowl, combine the pasta with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, Kalamata olives, and red onion. Add most of the feta (save some for the top) and toss gently so the pasta is coated.
Dress and chill
  1. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss gently until the ingredients are glossy. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the flavors meld.
Finish and serve
  1. Before serving, top the chilled salad with the remaining feta. Serve cold for the best texture contrast between cool vegetables and tender pasta.

Notes

For clean, not-soggy pasta salad, rinse with cold water right after draining and shake off excess water. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days; freezing is not recommended. For a dairy-light option, use a reduced-fat feta (or a feta-style vegan crumbles) and reduce the olive oil by 1–2 tbsp so the dressing still clings well.