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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!
Making this for the weekend! Can I combine the dressing and the herb oil (once cooled) in a jar and then mix it all tomorrow when I add the veggies?
Hey Anne,
Sure, that would work well for you! I hope this recipe turns out amazing, let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Making for a cookout should I save the dressing and pour on it when ready if making a day ahead?
Hey Kim,
Nope, you can fully toss the salad in advance and keep covered in the fridge. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Delicious! I didn’t have a bell pepper so I doubled the cucumber. May add some chicken or salmon when I eat the leftovers for lunch the next few days!
Hi Hilary,
Thanks for your feedback! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out! xTieghan
Super easy to make and tastes fresh
Hey Mya,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best week:) xxT
This is an amazing recipe and a crowd pleaser! I did not add the chick peas and pepperoncini as I did not have them. This will definitely be my go to summer pasta salad! Thanks Tieghan for an amazing recipe!
Hey Michelle,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best week:) xxT
I loved this salad. If you’re looking to simplify a bit, I’d say you can cut out the dressing and just let the oil base with the herbs, pine nuts and red pepper be your dressing. It’s delicious both ways!
Hey Sarah,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! xTieghan
Can’t wait to try, but quick question: Do you pour the heated oil over just the shallots or the combo of shallots, herbs, pine nuts and chili flakes that were combined in a bowl? Thanks so much!
Hey Marian,
You are going to pour the hot oil over all of the things combined in the bowl:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I made this with some modifications I had on hand. No chickpeas or peppercinos and we don’t care for feta so used Parmesan instead. So good would definitely serve with a lemon chicken and it would be such a good complete meal.
Hey Kathryn,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! ☀️xxT
Man this was top notch and will be on repeat this summer! I used chickpea pasta, added a can of artichoke hearts because I was out of chickpeas, and made the dressing with tahini. Even better on day 2!
Hey Sarah,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback! I love to hear that it was a hit! xTieghan
This is incredible! We used jovial gluten free penne, and I misread pepperoncini and diced up a stack of good pepperoni! I think I’ll do that again.
Hey John,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! ?xxT
Instant summer staple for us. Currently eating leftovers now 🙂 I added extra olives because we’re olive fiends here. A mix of kalamata and black.
Hey Tom,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! ?xxT
This is great to prep for lunches for the week! So many yummy veggies and the dressing is delicious. Will definitely be making this again!
Hey Danielle,
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
My family is obsessed. I’m pregnant and haven’t been able to keep down any animal meat so trying lots of new vegetarian recipes and this was a huge success. It’s perfect for all ages too. My toddler loves it and I love how many veggies she gets when she eats it! This will be a family staple for sure! Thank you!
Hi Bri,
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
Delicious and simple to make.
Hi Kaitlin,
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
I will make this again using regular pasta vs. quick cook. Great flavors – very pretty and feeds a crowd!
Hey Teresa,
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