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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! Sorry quick question- if I were making this to serve at a party tomorrow, would I add the dressing now or right before serving? Thanks!
Hi Abigail,
I would add about an hour before serving. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
This is the best pasta salad! Make it all the time.
Hi Debbie,
Happy Monday!! I really appreciate you making this recipe so often, I am so glad it is always enjoyed! Have a great week:)
The flavor, the colors, the best. Made it for a group and everyone raved and wanted the recipe. I used the tahini and really enjoyed the flavors. We will be making it again.
Hey Nicole,
Thanks so much for your feedback and trying this recipe out! I love to hear that it was a hit:) Have the best weekend?
I made this tonight. It was delicious and very filling. The only changes I made was used Persian cucumbers (since they’re less watery) and used gluten free brown rice pasta. I am not a fan of mayo, so thank you for recommending the option to use tahini. The fresh herbs take this recipe to another level–so do not leave them out. Thank you sharing another delicious recipe!
Hey Angela,
Happy Wednesday!? Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was a tasty one! xxT
This was wonderful! Really takes plain old pasta salad up to the next level! I want to make this for a bridal shower, could I make it the day before? two days before?
Hi Sally!!
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe!! I would probably make it a day in advance, but not two:) I hope this helps! xTieghan
Made this last minute for 4th of July with a few edits and it was a huge hit! I did the tahini base to keep it feeling lighter vs mayo and left out the pine nuts and chickpeas since I did not have those on hand, and subbed in jarred roasted red peppers vs raw since I had those handy and added in fresh parsley to the herbs and used dried dill ( did i mention this was last minute! Lots of winging it over here). I only made about half the amount of pasta since we had a small group, but made the full amount of sauce ( I never half sauce recipes, that is always the best part!) and it was SO GOOD. I tried some warm and it was yummy, but the next day was awesome. We ate the leftovers for a couple of days. I did less cucumber bc I was worried it would get soggy and watery, but it was actually ok. could have done more or added in when actually serving. My husband is still talking about this pasta salad! This will be my go to side dish for picnics! Another great dish!
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Monday!! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out and sharing your review:) Thanks for sharing what worked well for you!
So yummy!! I started out with a large bowl, but after adding all of the ingredients…I had to find my BIGGEST bowl. This was a huge salad! So delicious, it went perfect with our BLTs and even better the next day for lunch! Thanks, Tieghan!
Hey Kim,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed:) xx
Hi Tieghan, I made this salad yesterday to take to a friend’s birthday party. It makes a lot and was almost all eaten – the little bit we brought home got finished off for lunch today! It was easy and tasty, and I like that I usually have all the ingredients in my fridge and pantry. The only change I would make would be to finely mince the shallots instead of slicing them – I thought they were a bit strong, but my husband loved the taste, so go figure!! I didn’t take a photo because we are temporarily living in an apartment and all my pretty serving bowls are in storage. (Sad face) Thank you so much for your generosity in sharing your recipes. Everything I’ve made of yours is stupendous!!
Hey Cynthia,
Thanks for your comment and making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! Hope you’re off to a great week! ? xT
Hi Teigen,
I’m making this recipe tonight but my husband is allergic to pine nuts. Do you have a suggestion for a substitute?
Thanks!
Hi Nadine,
Are you able to use walnuts? Those would be great! If not, pumpkin or sunflower seeds would also work! I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
My daughter in law made this for July 4th and it was great ! So different from other pasta salads . The fresh herbs and pouring the hot oil over herbs made the salad explode with flavor! The tahini in the dressing was yummy too ! It made it creamy. I don’t like mayo so this was a great substitute !
I made the salad for dinner this week and it was terrific. My husband is not a big pasta salad guy but he loved this ! Great recipe and definitely a keeper !! Thanks.
Hey Sally,
Happy Friday! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was a hit! xTieghan
Hi lady!
I so want to make this this weekend!! However, I am not a fan of mayo or sesame (tahini)…do you have any suggestions that I could use to replace that ingredient?
Thanks!
Hey Hawa,
Greek yogurt would also work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
Made this for the 4th of July and everyone loved it! I used mayo because my grocery store didn’t have tahini, but would love to try it the other way. Will absolutely be making it again!
Hey Jessica,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks for sharing your review and making this recipe, I am so glad it was a winner! xxTieghan
Cucumber is missing from the directions although obvious to be added with “Add the olives, peppers, tomatoes, chickpeas, and pepperoncini”. Could be missed by some.
Thanks for pointing that out Cindy!!
Made this for a large crowd and doubled the recipe. It was a huge hit! Everyone devoured it in minutes! So delicious 🙂
Hey Mackenzie,
Happy Monday!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! xxT
using kens greek salad dressing/ vinaigrette instead of homemade salad. if i were to sub in this instead of doing homemade, how much dressing should i be adding, 1/3rd of a cup?
Hi there,
Sure, I would start with 1/3 cup and then add more to your liking. I hope you love the recipe!! xx
This was delicious however my dressing was almost not enough to cover all the pasta. (Yours looked creamy, mine not) I used a corkscrew type pasta but wondering if I should have used a shorter pasta? Does shorter pasta and pasta type correlate with dressing coverage?
Love your recipes so much!
Hi Lorie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! Any short cut pasta is great to use in this recipe. Was there anything you may have adjusted in the dressing? Let me know! xx
Yummmm! Bursting with flavor! Will be making this again!
Hey Hope,
Fantastic!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! ?Tieghan