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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.
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.
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
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 553 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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!
We just made this for dinner tonight! Looks incredible in the big pasta/salad bowl! Tiny error in my part – I misread pepperoncini and instead diced up a stack of really good pepperoni!
Hey John,
Thanks so much for your comment and sharing your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit and thanks for making it! xTieghan
So good and makes a boatload! Used chopped pistachios, basil, thyme and oregano for herbs and tahini for creaminess. Can’t wait to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Hi Meg,
Thanks so much for your comment and sharing your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit and thanks for making it! xTieghan
So delicious!! I used chick pea pasta for added protein!
Hi Isabel,
Thanks so much for your comment and sharing your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit and thanks for making it! xTieghan
This recipe makes SO much but it was very yummy (you could literally feed 10 people no problem.) I like my Greek inspired dishes to have a real punch so I am going to doctor up the rest of the leftover salad tomorrow with a little bit more of that creamy dressing but amp up the red wine vinegar. I saw someone in the comments grated some garlic into the dressing too which I may try. Great idea. 10/10 make this and keep in your fridge for summer bbqs. My bf was a huge fan.
Hey Lauren,
Awesome!! Thanks for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Amazing! I can see myself making this on repeat this summer.
Hi Dayna,
Awesome!! Thanks for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Doubled this for my family of 22 Family Day today. Celebrating all the birthday’s and Mother’s Day! Yum.
Hey Claudette,
Awesome!! Thanks for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Perfect summer pasta salad! Bet I’ll be taking this to a bbq this summer. Personally I left out the chickpeas because I used chickpea pasta instead! Also left out pepperoni because frankly I didn’t have any at home. The dressing is really flavorful and a great addition to all the fresh veggies. And the fresh herbs in this recipe packed in a lot of additional flavors.
Hi Natalie,
Thanks so much for your comment and sharing your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit and thanks for making it! xTieghan
This pasta salad is outstanding! Super flavorful! I will be making it all summer. My grocery store was out of most herbs, so I used chives from my garden. I also grated a clove of garlic into the dressing, which gave it extra punch. Next time, I will add cubed mozzarella or those little fresh mozzarella balls because my husband doesn’t care for feta. I think the milder cheese will work great with the salty olives & tangy peperoncini. Thanks for another fantastic recipe!
My grocery store was also out of almost every herb so I used fresh basil and substituted dry oregano + dill….still turned out just fine.
Hi Katie,
Awesome!! Thanks for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
I am using a sale-purchased dressing on this. The current cost of food is a serious issue in my house so I am skipping the pine nuts. We have everything else. This is going to be in inches this week. It’s sitting in the fridge now so all the ingredients can get acquainted ?
I hope you love the recipe Jennifer, let me know how it turns out!! xTieghan
It was perfect.
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks so much for your comment and sharing your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit and thanks for making it! xTieghan
This looks delicious! I’m not seeing the cucumbers in the directions. Do they get added with the peppers? Thanks!
Hi Kim,
You will add the cucumbers in step 3. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Just what I love
Thanku ❤??
I hope you love the recipe Maria!!
Loved! Loved! Loved! Added in some roasted turkey because meat is a standard in my house. Definitely will make again.
Hey Diana,
Awesome!! Thanks for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
The pictures show herbs in the dressing, but the ingredients and directions don’t mention any. Would love to know types and proportions used, Tieghan!
In the recipe, it says: 1/2 cup mixed fresh herbs (basil, oregano, dill)
🙂
In the salad bit though. 🙂
Hey there,
So sorry for any confusion, yes you will want to add the mixed herbs into the dressing, use whatever you like! Basil, dill, and cilantro are great options! Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xx
So delicious, best pasta salad I have ever made!
Hi Emily,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Made this for lunch today…so good! Had to change chickpeas out for some cooked ham to appease some picky eaters but this recipe is a keeper!
Hey Carole,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Made this last night for dinner and paired it with your greek meatballs……So So So yummy!
Hi Kayla,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit! Have the best weekend!? xxTieghan