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This easy Greek Olive Pasta Salad with creamy honey dijon dressing is my go-to spring/summer pasta salad. It’s almost no-cook, comes together quickly, and with very little effort. Greek olives, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, salty feta cheese, and a creamy, tangy Greek dressing, all tossed up with pasta. It’s colorful and so delicious. Enjoy this for dinner and save the leftovers for lunch. Or serve it up at your next party, it’s always a hit.
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Come spring and summer, we’re big on pasta salad. My dad would make his basic broccoli cheddar pasta salad weekly throughout the summer. But oftentimes he would switch it up and do his version of a Greek pasta salad.
To be honest, this usually consisted of whatever he had in the fridge at the time. Which to be fair, does usually make for the very best pasta salads.
In general, he always had a handful of fresh Greek ingredients in the fridge at all times. Bell peppers, olives, pepperoncini, cherry tomatoes (in the summer), basil, and dill. As a family, we just love those flavors.
That was his greek salad. He’d toss it with olive oil, salt, and pepper and call it a day. Oh, plus cheese (of course), but he’d didn’t use feta much, mainly just cheddar.
It’s always been one of my favorite dishes that he would make. So I recreated that salad but added a few touches and a creamy dressing.
Ingredients
- Shallots
- Mixed fresh herbs
- Pine nuts
- Chili flakes
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Short cut pasta
- Mixed Greek olives
- Bell peppers
- Chopped cucumber
- Cherry tomatoes
- Canned chickpeas
- Sliced pepperoncini
- Feta cheese
Here are the quick details
I always start with the dressing. I did a red wine vinaigrette with a touch of honey and tahini to make it creamy. You could use mayo too, but typically I love usually tahini to keep the salad a little more wholesome.
Simply mix everything together and that’s it. Nothing fancy.
For the salad, I love to warm a little olive oil and get it just to a sizzling point. Then pour the hot oil over the shallots with some pine nuts and herbs. The heat from the oil cooks the shallots and infuses the herbs into the oil.
It’s an extra step but adds a lot of flavor.
Then the rest is pretty quick. Boil the pasta and toss it with that creamy dressing, all the Greek olives, and the fresh vegetables and herbs.
I top the salad with feta and always enjoy serving this warm. But it’s also great leftover for lunch the following day.
This is a nice recipe for prepping ahead of time for parties or even work lunches. The pasta holds up really well in the fridge and would be great to make on a Sunday for the week ahead. It actually takes on even more flavor as the salad sits!
If you wanted to make it a little heartier, you could add grilled pesto marinated chicken. That would be delicious!
Looking for other great pasta salad recipes? Here are some favorites:
Pesto Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Pasta Salad
Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad
Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken Avocado Orzo Salad with Honey Mustard Bacon Dressing
Lastly, if you make this Greek Olive Pasta Salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Greek Olive Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Greek Dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tahini or mayo
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- kosher salt and black pepper
Salad
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup mixed fresh herbs , (basil, oregano, dill)
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- chili flakes
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 3/4 cup mixed Greek olives, pitted
- 2 bell peppers, chopped
- 1 cup chopped cucumber
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
- 1/4 cup sliced pepperoncini
- 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- 1. To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.2. To make the salad. Combine the shallots, pine nuts, herbs, and chili flakes in a large bowl. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat until it begins to sizzle. Pour the hot oil over the shallots. 3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain. Add the pasta to the bowl with the oil. Add the olives, peppers, tomatoes, chickpeas, and pepperoncini. Pour over the dressing and toss well. Add the feta. 4. Serve the salad warm or cold and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Hi there,
Wondering if you use any other spices (such as garlic powder or smoked paprika) mixed in with the shallots? or fresh garlic?
Hi Aleen,
Sure, use whatever you like:) I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, let me know if you give it a try! xx
Fresh and flavorful! The dressing was perfection!!
Hi Ashley,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xT
Delish! Really flavorful; made some personal modifications but that’s what a good pasta salad allows for, right?! Thanks Tieghan.
Hi Amy,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xT
This is fantastic!! I’m not an olive fan, so I skipped those, but the flavor is outstanding. I made a batch to eat for lunch then stash in the fridge for my busy family to eat on over the weekend. So so good!
Hey Rory,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xT
This is a LOT of olive oil. Wondering if it will still taste as good of reducing the amount of oil (by half, for example). Thanks!
Hi Julia,
I would not reduce the olive oil in the dressing, but I suppose you could reduce how much you use in step 2. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Looks sooo good!! Has anyone tried it with quinoa???
That’s exactly what I was thinking as I don’t eat pasta….
Hey Francine,
You can really use any base you like, farro would be great too!
Thanks Kim! Quinoa would definitely work:) Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xx
Looks delicious! Will it work as well using orzo pasta??
Hey Michele,
Totally, you can use any pasta that you like:) I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, let me know if you give it a try! xx
Hello from Cleveland, Tieghan! I made this for dinner tonight with ditalini pasta. I threw in couple leftover diced chicken thighs. Soooo good! Can’t wait for the leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Not only delicious, but easy and pretty healthy! Another awesome HBH recipe.
Hi Marilou,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! Thanks for your kind message:) xx
I had made this type of salad a number of times and I use red onion slivers, instead of the scallions, to get a blast of true Greek flavor!
This calls for shallots, not scallions. They’re pretty similar to red onions
Great idea!!
I just made this tonight for tomorrow dinner. I don’t like bell peppers in salad so I added more cukes, garbanzos and tomatoes. It’s absolutely delicious. You could also add chicken or some cubed dry salami.
Hi Lori,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xx
Did a few substitutions such as artichokes and pesto because I couldn’t find fresh basil. Grilled some chicken also. Of course it’s delicious.
Hi Darlene,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xx
Love this!
Hi there,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xx
Made this for dinner this evening – delicious! Only change was to double the dressing because, well, dressing! Will use the extra on leftovers. Thanks T!
Hey Amy,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xT
I just made this for work lunches for the week (I have a weird schedule, haha) and it is seriously SO good. I couldn’t stop eating from the bowl, and I love all the fresh ingredients! Will definitely be making this all summer!
Hi Lindsey,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xx
This is delicious! So fresh and filling, the dressing is on point. I added rotisserie chicken for some protein. I didn’t have pine nuts and forgot them at the store so I used sliced almonds instead and turned out great, giving it the same crunch!
It already has a lot of protein: feta cheese, pine nuts and chickpeas.
Hey Julie,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xx
Looks delicious! Curious to know – what pasta is this in the photos? I love the extra tight curls.
Hi M – the pasta is called Fusilli.
If you can find De Cecco brand that’s the best. Good luck!
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to make it! Would also love to know more about your dad’s broccoli cheddar pasta salad that you mentioned! Recipe please!!
Great recipe and plenty of food for our family of five. Everyone loved it. Thanks!
Hi Lisa,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xx
Will have to share soon:) I hope you love the recipe! xx
The fusilli I’ve bought in the past has never been curly like this one is! Will have to look at that brand’s version, thank you.
Trader Joe’s has this pasta https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/organic-fusilli-corti-bucati-pasta-072525
Ooh, I’ll take a look next time I’m there. Thank you!
Hey there,
Here’s the link:
https://piccolosgastronomia.com/products/de-cecco-fusilli-corti-bucati-98-1-lb-453g?variant=32116329906279¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&utm_campaign=gs-2019-10-11&utm_source=google&utm_medium=smart_campaign&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjLrEquzZ9wIVXhbUAR2KSAFDEAQYAiABEgK4P_D_BwE
Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Thank you so much! I’ve seen you use that shape before and I just love the look. Thanks for all your wonderful recipes!