The Best Greek Pasta Salad

A fresh and zesty mediterranean twist on an American classic. This Greek pasta salad is perfect for your next cookout or family gathering!

Pasta salad is easily one of the most crowd-pleasing sides at any cookout or barbecue. It can easily be thrown together the night before an event, and is guaranteed to taste even better the next day once the pasta and veggies have soaked up all the zesty dressing goodness. Combine the pasta, dressing, and the crisp crunch of fresh veggies – it’s always super satisfying.

In my humble opinion, the best pasta salad is the kind that is served extremely cold. This can be hard to achieve on a hot summer day, especially when it’s July here in North Carolina! But if you can keep it cold, even if you have to keep it in a cooler until it’s just about to be served, it makes a huge difference.

What’s in a name? The origin of olives and bowtie pasta

One thing that makes this pasta salad unique is the use of two different olives. Olives have been a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet for more than 6,000 years. In addition to the beloved Greek Kalamata olive, which are named after the Kalamata region of Southern Greece where they originate, I also had some Castelvetrano olives on hand. These are a Sicilian/Southern Italian olives, but they really add something special to this pasta salad. Another thing I love about pasta salad is the classic bowtie shape – there’s just something about the fun texture/surface area for me! This shape is called Farfalle in Italian, which literally translates into “butterflies.” How cute is that?!

If you don’t have the time or energy to make the dressing, pretty much any vinaigrette-based salad dressing would be a good substitute. However, if you do have the time, definitely make the dressing from scratch! It is SO good and the leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an air-tight jar or container and used on salads all week long. Here’s a link to a great mediterranean salad that this dressing would be great on!

A couple of things to keep in mind…

• Prep Time – Make the pasta the night before if you can. Pasta salad is always best once the flavors have had a chance to fully incorporate and the pasta is super cold!
• Red Onion – Sometimes raw red onion can be a bit aggressive. If the onion you have is super strong, try soaking it in cold water for a bit to take out some of its pungency. I then slice the red onion extremely thin – a mandoline slicer works well if you are comfortable using this tool.
• Customizability – This salad is super customizable – you can add in red bell pepper, omit the onions and olives, whatever floats your boat!
• Dressing – Don’t dump in all of the dressing at first; add in about 1/3-1/2 of the dressing to start; reserve some for sprucing up the salad just before serving. I recommend making the dressing in a jar of some sort so you can easily store the leftovers in the fridge. It will keep in the fridge for about a week!

Check out the recipe below and let me know if you end up making this delicious pasta salad! Tag me at @la.dolce.limone on Instagram so I can taste it with my eyes.

Greek Pasta Salad

A fresh mediterranean twist on an American classic. This will be a huge hit at your next cookout or family gathering!

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 15

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Greek, Mediterranean

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For Pasta Base

• 4-6 oz deli package fresh Kalamata and/or Castelvetrano olives pitted and halved
• 1 package cherry tomato (I prefer a tri-color medley) halved
• 1 cucumber (English or Persian) sliced and halved
• 1 green Pepper chopped
• ½ small red Onion sliced thin (use mandolin if possible)
• 1 block feta cheese
• 1 box farfalle (Bowtie) Pasta cooked and drained

For Dressing

• 2 cups extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar can substitute with white balsamic vinegar too
• 2 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 2 tbsp honey add more to taste
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp dried dill
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black papper

Method

 

1. Boil pasta to al dente (do not overcook!) and drain. Allow to fully cool. Sometimes I pop the pasta in the colander right into the fridge for 20-30 minutes while I finish cutting up all the veggies.
2. While the pasta is cooking, combine and whisk all dressing ingredients in a small bowl; alternatively, add all dressing ingredients to a mason jar, add the lid, and shake until the dressing ingredients are fully combined. Add more/less honey and salt to taste. Set dressing aside.
3. Rinse and chop all veggies to desired length.
4. Add drained pasta to a big bowl or serving dish; add the chopped veggies and drizzle desired amount of dressing on top. I like to reserve some of the dressing to drizzle on top, just before serving, since the pasta and veggies will soak up a lot of the dressing.
5. Stir the pasta mixture until the dressing is fully incorporated. Set the pasta in the fridge for at least one hour so it is completely cooled before serving. If possible, make the pasta the night before the event for maximum flavor and coldness!