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Greek Pasta Salad

Greek pasta salad with al dente penne tossed in a zesty lemon-oregano dressing and loaded with classic cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives, and feta. Chill until the flavors meld for a refreshing Mediterranean salad with red, white, green, and black Greek-flag vibes.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Greek
Calories: 520
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta salad
  • 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
  • 0.25 cup olive oil
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
  • 0.5 salt to taste
  • 0.5 black pepper to taste

Method
 

Cook and rinse pasta
  1. Cook penne or rotini pasta according to package directions until tender with a firm bite, then drain. Rinse under cold water until cool to stop the cooking.
Make the lemon-oregano dressing
  1. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, fresh oregano, salt, and black pepper until combined. Keep whisking for 30 seconds so the dressing looks evenly emulsified.
Toss salad
  1. Combine pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, Kalamata olives, and red onion in a large bowl. Add most of the feta (reserve a bit for topping) and toss gently to distribute.
Dress and chill
  1. Pour the lemon-oregano dressing over the salad and toss gently until everything is coated. Stop tossing as soon as the salad looks glossy, not dry.
  2. Refrigerate the Greek pasta salad for at least 2 hours to let flavors meld. Cover the bowl so the surface doesn’t dry out.
  3. Top with the remaining feta before serving. Spoon directly from the bowl so each forkful shows red, white, green, and black flag colors.

Notes

Pro tip: rinse the pasta in cold water and cool it fully—warm pasta can melt the feta and make the salad taste oily. Refrigerate covered for 3–4 days; freezers are not recommended because cucumbers get watery. For a lighter version, use reduced-fat feta and keep the olive oil at 3 tbsp total (reduce by 1 tbsp) while keeping the lemon juice and vinegar the same for punch.