Greek Pasta Salad & Easy Mediterranean Dressing

Savor Mediterranean flavors with our Greek Pasta Salad. Tossed in a delightful Mediterranean dressing, it’s packed with sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, feta, olives, and crunchy pine nuts. Transport your taste buds to the Mediterranean coast with every delicious bite!

A savory Greek pasta salad recipe is great as a side dish, or get that grill going and toss in sliced Lemon Rosemary Grilled Chicken for an outstanding summer dinner idea!

Why You’ll Love Mediterranean Pasta Salad

It’s that time of year again when you can hardly escape a dinner spread without a tasty pasta salad. And I ask you, who would want to? My Greek pasta salad recipe has a lot to offer, like:

• A hearty and satisfying pasta salad with herby Mediterranean salad dressing
• This Greek pasta salad recipe is full of flavor and wonderful as a make-ahead dish.
• Pesto is the secret ingredient that takes all the work out of the pasta salad dressing (sauce).
• Versatile and customizable for taste and onhand supplies.
• Greek pasta salad is a crowd-pleaser at any event.
• Robust, super flavorful sun-dried tomatoes pairs with tangy marinated artichoke hearts and the salty-unique flavor of Kalamata olives.

Gather These Ingredients For Greek Pasta Salad

For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Small Shaped Pasta – like penne, fusilli, rotini, or orzo, and cooked one minute PAST al dente!*
• Salt – be sure to heavily salt the pasta water. 
• Marinated Artichoke Hearts -drained and lightly chopped. You can use plain artichoke hearts; just let them marinate in the dressing for 30 minutes, and viola!
• Sun-Dried Tomatoes – packed in oil. Drain tomatoes and reserve the oil. Slice the fruit into julienne strips. 
• Kalamata Pitted Olives – drained and halved.
• Sliced Scallions – aka spring onions or green onions.
• Fresh Parsley -rinsed, drained, and chopped. Flat-leaf parsley is a standard in Mediterranean cuisine. According to Gordon Ramsey, it has a bold, aromatic, and intense flavor, more suitable for salads than curly parsley.
• Fresh Baby Spinach – chopped or chiffonade style if you like. 
• Crumbled Feta – Creamy, salty, and tangy, just the right combo to complement and calm the acidity in the Mediterranean salad dressing!
• Fresh Parmesan Cheese – shaved or shredded. 
• Pine Nuts – are tender and creamy raw or can be lightly toasted for more in-depth flavor.

*Chef’s Note: It’s important to remember that pasta starch absorbs water as it cooks, then releases moisture as it cools. The fancy word for this process is retrogradation. What this means for us is that if you don’t allow pasta that is to be served cold to absorb enough liquid (al dente + 1 minute), it will likely end up drier and more rubbery.

For dressing:

• Pesto – convenient and easy pre-packaged pesto is available jarred or in a tube in the produce section. Or you can make your own.
• Olive Oil – if you have extra virgin olive oil on hand, this is the perfect time to combine the fruity green notes of EVOO with Greek pasta salad.
• Sun-Dried Tomato Oil – reserved from the jarred product.
• Lemon Juice – A freshly squeezed lemon will add a brighter note than bottled if that’s an option for you.  
• Red Wine Vinegar – or any wine-based vinegar will work. Fruit vinegars can detract from the Mediterranean flavor profile.
• Salt & Pepper – Sea salt and freshly cracked, finer ground pepper to taste.

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How To Make Greek Pasta Salad & Easy Mediterranean Dressing

Simple prep and bursting with Mediterranean flavor, this Greek pasta salad will be at the top of your list for warm weather fare! Prepped and ready to serve in 30 minutes or less, you will need a pot for pasta, a large bowl, and a lidded jar or salad cruet. 1, 2, 3, Let’s Eat!

When you are making this recipe, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.

1. Greek Pasta Salad Prep: Prepare, cool, and transfer the pasta to a large bowl with chopped artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, scallions, and parsley; gently combine.
2. Easy Mediterranean Salad Dressing: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or jar. Refrigerate until ready to serve the salad.
3. Serving Pasta Salad: Add remaining ingredients, drizzle with Mediterranean dressing, gently fold together, and season to taste. Serve Greek spinach salad at room temperature or cold.

Recipe Notes & Tips

One hard-learned lesson regarding a cold pasta salad is that a properly seasoned noodle takes blase to BAM! Getting that little morsel well-seasoned happens in the cooking process, trust me. You cannot “infuse” the same level of flavor into a noodle after the fact. Check out 10 Mistakes To Avoid When Making Pasta Salad for some eye-opening truths about serving cold pasta!

• The secret to perfectly seasoned pasta salad is the salted water. A 1:2:4 ratio is optimum,  one pound of pasta, two tablespoons salt, and four quarts water.
• It’s not when you salt during the boiling process that matters; it’s using enough salt to season the pasta. 
• Reserve a little pasta water, ¼-⅓ cup, to toss into the pasta salad for additional moisture if needed. 
• If you don’t have sun-dried tomatoes in oil, you can soften dry packaged sundried tomatoes by soaking them overnight in olive or avocado oil.
• To fully savor the vibrant flavors, avoid chopping the artichokes or sun-dried tomatoes too small. Larger pieces ensure you get the full flavor punch in every bite.
• For a bold splash of color and freshness, I like adding about a cup of halved cherry tomatoes to my Greek pasta salad.
• For make-ahead or transporting a Greek spinach salad, hold off on adding the cheeses, spinach, pinenuts and dressing until ready to serve. 
• When serving a chilled Mediterranean pasta salad, pull it from the fridge and allow it to warm slightly for the best flavor (~10-15 minutes).
• Always do a couple folding stirs before serving, taste, and season if needed. If salad is sufficiently sauced but dry, fold in one tablespoon of pasta water at a time until just right.