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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!
A flavorful level up from the traditional pasta salad. This one has more nutritional value AND better flavor. Love it. I found I needed a bit more of the sauce for my liking, and I added some shredded rotisserie chicken + chunked up avocado to make it a meal in and off itself.
Hey Brooke,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xTieghan
Could I use pickled red onion instead of scallions in this recipe?
Hey Margaret,
Totally, that will be delicious!! Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe!! xTieghan
My husband and I love this recipe! It is perfect for summer and gives us lunch for awhile. I omit the mayo/tahini from the dressing as I don’t personally like creamy pasta salads and it is still delicious. Another awesome recipe 🙂
Hi Genevieve,
Happy Wednesday!! I so appreciate you giving this recipe a try and love to hear that it was enjoyed! Thanks for your feedback:) xT
Hello! How much of the chili flakes should be used? Thanks!
Hi Kelly,
Just a pinch or more to your liking:) Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you! xx
Made this to bring to my daughters house for a party. It seemed a little unusual with the oil over the shallots etc, but it was so worth it! Like a Greek salad with pasta in it! And the dressing, to die for! My go to Greek pasta salad from now on… thanks so much Teighan…?
Hey Geraldine,
Awesome!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try and sharing your review! Love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend!☀️ xx
Yum! I just made this and can’t stop eating it right out of the bowl! And I haven’t even added the feta yet. Will also be adding some grilled pesto chicken! Can’t wait. And I used roasted red pepper instead of raw. Also added more herbs to the dressing like you do in the video- it was the way to go for sure; plus a touch more honey.
Hey Sarah,
Happy Monday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback!! Have the best week:) xx
This is very yummy. I increase the honey because we wanted a little more sweetness to balance the tartness of the lemon and vinegar. Heating the oil with the herbs is genius and pouring and hot pasta. I didn’t have fresh basil but had pesto I had made and frozen and use that instead and it was perfect.
Delicious hot or cold!
Hey Susan,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed. Have the best weekend! ?xxT
So delicious!
I omitted the pine nuts and chili flakes (personal preference). I used the tahini, as called for, in the dressing. Turned out amazing and was equally as delicious the next day.
Next time I might add a touch more honey.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Hey Kelsey,
Awesome!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks for making it and sharing your feedback:) xx
This is the best pasta salad ever! I will never eat a another kind. Absolutely love it. So frickin good! ?
Hey Lena,
Awesome!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks for making it and sharing your feedback:) xx
I loved this. It tasted so good! You are a flavor queen! I used basil and dill.
Hi Emily,
Fantastic!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxT
Hi Tieghan, thanks for this recipe!! Just made it and here we stand over the bowl eating it – it’s SO good. I followed recipe as instructed except used garlic instead of shallot. Delicious! A summer salad to add to my weeknight dinner options…and would be good for picnic/party as well.
Hey Cindy,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! Have a great weekend:) xx
Almost got lazy and bought store made dressing because I couldn’t find the tahini… SO glad I took the extra few minutes to find it because this dressing is so unique and yummy. This will be perfect for easy lunches throughout the week and getting some veggies in!
Hi Sara,
Fantastic!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxT
Looks delicious. How do you make the broccoli cheddar pasta salad that you mentioned?
Thanks Kim! Will have to share that recipe soon:)
This pasta salad was so good! I prepped it on a Sunday before a busy week, and it was so easy to make ahead. I don’t like olives so I left them off, and it was still delicious and didn’t feel like it was missing anything. I also used a red lentil pasta instead of regular pasta.
Hey Erica,
Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback! ??xTieghan
Delicious! Made it twice in one week!
Hi Christine,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback!! Love to hear that it was a winner:) xxT
Delicious the fresh herbs give so much flavor!
Hi Piper,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback!! Love to hear that it was a winner:) xxT