Mediterranean Pasta Salad is among the most impressive pasta salads a home chef can make to impress a crowd.
Cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese are mixed with rotini and drizzled with homemade Greek dressing to create this colorful and appetizing pasta salad!
This pasta salad, like caprese pasta salad and Italian pasta salad, is easy to make, but also so colorful and appetizing alongside everything else on any table!
Ingredients in Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- Pasta: I love rotini in this pasta salad but use any medium shape.
- Vegetables
- Chop fresh tomatoes into bite-sized pieces or use cherry or grape tomatoes.
- Slice fresh cucumbers into thin rounds for a refreshing crunch. I prefer English cucumbers. If using field cucumbers peel them first and scrape out the seeds.
- Dice red onion into small pieces. I often soak diced onions in cold water for a few minutes to mellow the flavor.
- Flavorful Additions:
- Choose oil packed sun-dried tomatoes for the best for flavor and texture. If you have only dried ones, rehydrate them in warm water for a few minutes before chopping.
- Use either kalamata olives or black olives and be sure they’re pitted. They add a briny and salty flavor.
- Drain and rinse canned chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) to remove any excess liquid and sodium.
- Canned artichoke hearts are light and fresh in flavor.
- Feta cheese: Crumble the feta cheese into small, bite-sized pieces or substitute it with grated Parmesan.
- Dressing: Use store-bought Greek dressing or the homemade version in the recipe below.
How To Make Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Have this pasta salad on the table in 3 simple steps. Just cook the pasta, make the dressing and combine together with fresh crunchy veggies!
- Pasta: Cook pasta al dente per the recipe below.
- Dressing: Whisk together or shake the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and set aside.
- Combine: Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine.
Refrigerate for at least one hour. Before serving, garnish with extra crumbled feta cheese, and fresh parsley. Feel free to add a side of croutons or breadsticks for a little extra crunch!
Must-Try Pasta Salad Recipes
Did you love this Mediterranean Pasta Salad? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rotini pasta
- 1 cup tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup cucumbers sliced
- ¼ cup oil packed sundried tomatoes drained
- ½ cup kalamata olives or black olives
- 1 cup chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup red onion diced
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1 cup artichokes diced and drained
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
- 1 cup prepared Greek dressing, or homemade dressing in the notes, more to taste
Instructions
- Cook the rotini pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop from cooking.
- If making homemade dressing (in the notes below), combine all ingredients in a jar and shake.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, chopped tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, drained sun-dried tomatoes, diced red onion, diced artichokes. olives, and chickpeas.
- Pour 1 cup of dressing (or more to taste) over the salad, toss to combine.
- Add feta cheese and fresh parsley and toss gently to mix.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend. Garnish with extra feta cheese and parsley if desired.
Notes
- The pasta will soak up dressing as it sits to be sure to dress the salad generously.
- This pasta salad can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Just give it a good stir before serving.
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup light olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt & pepper to taste
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Pasta, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Mediterranean© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Do you have a recipe for fresh creamy garlic salad dressing?
Yes! Here is the recipe for creamy garlic dressing. Enjoy Jan!
I made this for the first time, for my Salad Club at school (work), for tomorrow. I tasted the finished product, and it was delicious. I love the Mediterranean components and the honey balances out the acidity from the vinegar and lemon juice. I hope my teachers enjoy it tomorrow!
A salad club?! That sounds like such a fun thing to be a part of <3 We hope they love it as much as we did too!
I made this salad for the first time, to take to my school for my Salad Club. Of course I had to taste it, to make sure the staff would enjoy too. It’s so flavourful, and I love the different textures. It was a nice change from the typical pasta salads that are available. I love the Mediterranean components! Wish me luck for tomorrow! Don’t want to disappoint my teachers!
I can’t wait for you to share this and I hope they love it as much as me and you do Lori!
My son made this for a pot luck and brought me some the following day. I think it was better the next day- he agreed. Would suggest the tomatoes be fresh; perhaps the ones he bought were not top notch. One can’t taste every little tomato. Can anyone suggest a substitute in event they are not in season?
You could add drained canned diced tomatoes if you’d like.
I made this for an anniversary party potluck and I’m making it again for my husband’s 50th birthday party. I got lots of compliments. I used farfalle pasta instead of rotini. I’m not a fan of sundried tomatoes or chickpeas so I used sweet peppers. I put onion powder in with the dressing instead of raw onion..heartburn…I’m getting a wee bit old over here…and it still gave that onion taste without the heartburn.
So glad you loved it Michelle! Great tip on the onion powder, thanks for sharing.
Looks amazing! quick question, do you weigh the pasta cooked or uncooked? xx
Hi Julia, for this recipe, we use 8 ounces of uncooked rotini.
This is to die for! Could eat the whole lot myself :)
All these recipes sound great
It’s a show stopper at a party because it looks so colorful and tastes delicious.
Quick and easy to make it’s become my go to for a party or a pot luck.
Great recipes!
Yum! Made this last night for the first time and will definitely make it again! Thanks, Holly!
So glad you enjoyed the pasta salad Shannon!