Greek Pasta Salad

Greek Pasta salad is packed with tons of veggies to keep you full and tons of flavor to keep you happy!  It is the best pasta salad recipe to bring to BBQs, potlucks, and picnics as well as make ahead for lunch.  It can be eaten alone for a vegetarian pasta salad option, or top with a protein like tuna or grilled chicken.  This post may contain affiliate links for products I’m obsessed with.

This post was originally published on June 27, 2016, but it’s being updated with pretty new pics and a slight tweak to the recipe. 

Confession #91 – While I totally believe in the whole 80% 20% rule for eating, and the idea of everything in moderation, I still have trouble stopping myself from eating more of certain foods when I do eat them.

Like Pasta.   I’m cool with my yellow container until I fill it with pasta.   Then it’s just sad. I love my zoodles and spaghetti squash, so this isn’t a huge issue, but I was craving pasta salad this weekend and one little yellow scoop wasn’t going to cut it.

That’s how this Pasta Veggie Salad was born!

Ingredients for Greek Pasta Salad

• Cooked whole wheat or GF pasta – Use your favorite pasta brand and type and cook it according to the package directions.
• Diced cucumber – I left the skin on, but feel free to peel.
• Broccoli florets– Be sure to cut up into bite sized pieces. 
• Grape tomatoes – Either cut in half or leave them whole, its up to you!
• Red onion– I love the color pop of the red onion, but if you don’t like onions you can sub more cucumbers, tomatoes, or broccoli, or just leave it out all together!  TIP:  soak your red onion in water while your pasta is boiling.  This takes out the “bite.”
• Feta cheese– You can sub another cheese or omit if dairy free.
• Olives – I used kalamata, but you can use black olives instead.  If you don’t like olives, you can double the dressing or skip! FIXers, this will change the ORANGE container amount.
• Lemon – Fresh lemon gives everything a nice burst of flavor!
• Homemade dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, fresh or dried oregano, fresh or dried basil, garlic power, and lemon juice – If you make the dressing the day before it will be THAT much more amazing, but will totally still work if you make it right before serving.  No worries!

My goal was to fill this Greek pasta salad recipe with enough delicious veggies to have a proper serving and not feel deprived.   I love the combination of fresh grape tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion, but also added some fresh broccoli cut up into small florets.

Perfecto!  This salad has the perfect amount of crunch from the fresh veggies and flavor from the herbs, dressing, lemon, and feta cheese.  And one serving was a whole heaping 1 1/2 cups!   I hardly had room on my plate for anything else.

How to make Pasta Salad

1. Mix ingredients for the dressing (can do the day before) and refrigerate. Be sure to taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
2. Cook your favorite pasta according to package directions.
3. Once the pasta is cooled, toss with veggies and olives. Squeeze juice from 1/2 lemon over salad and mix. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
4. Last, stir in feta and dressing before serving.

What to serve with Greek Pasta Salad

This would be a perfect thing to bring to a potluck or picnic or even a make ahead lunch for the week!  You could always add some diced chicken, tuna, or even top with some egg for a protein kick.

This is also the best pasta salad recipe to make with a grilled protein. Try one of these:

My Fave Burger Recipe + Burger Sauce

21 Day Fix Grilled Lemon-Herb Pork Chops

Lemon Grilled Salmon {21 Day Fix}

New York Strip Steak

What if I don’t like olives in my Pasta Salad Recipe?

I used a tiny amount of the 21 Day Fix orange container allotment for olives because I’m obsessed, but if you would rather omit, go for it!  It won’t change much as far as containers go.  Don’t tell Autumn, but you can add a tiny bit of extra feta and it will all work out the same.  

Do you love Greek and Mediterranean food?  Try another one of these recipes-

21 Day Fix Greek Spaghetti Squash Boats {Gluten-free}

Chicken Quinoa Mediterranean Salad with Tzatziki Dressing [21 Day Fix | WW]

Easy Gluten-free Mediterranean Chickpea Salad | 21 Day Fix | Weight Watchers | 2B Mindset

Easy Falafel Bites [Air Fryer | Oven]

Also check out: How to Measure Pasta for the 21 Day Fix + 21 Day Fix Pasta Recipes

Greek Pasta Salad

• Author: Nancylynn Sicilia
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Lunch
• Method: Mixing
• Cuisine: Greek

Print Recipe

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Description

Greek Pasta salad is packed with tons of veggies to keep you full and tons of flavor to keep you happy!  It is the best pasta salad recipe to bring to BBQs, potlucks, and picnics as well as make ahead for lunch.  It can be eaten alone for a vegetarian pasta salad option, or top with a protein like tuna or grilled chicken.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 cups of cooked whole wheat or GF pasta
• 2 cups of diced cucumber
• 2 cups of broccoli florets, cut up small
• 1 1/2 cups of grape tomatoes, cut in half or left whole
• 1/4 of a red onion, sliced (TIP:  soak your red onion in water while your pasta is boiling.  This takes out the “bite.”)
• 1 cup of feta cheese crumbles
• 20 olives (I used kalamata)
• 1/2 lemon

Dressing

• 6 T olive oil
• 4 T red wine vinegar
• 1–2 T of water
• sprinkle of salt and fresh pepper
• 1 T fresh or 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 T fresh or 1/2 tsp dried basil
• sprinkle of garlic powder
• juice from 1 lemon

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Instructions

1. Mix ingredients for the dressing (can be done the day before) and refrigerate. Be sure to taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
2. Once the pasta is cooled toss with veggies and olives. Squeeze juice from 1/2 lemon over salad and mix. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
3. Stir in feta and dressing before serving.
4. Enjoy! Makes great leftovers or lunches for the week!

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Notes

Makes 6 servings that are 1 1/2 cups each

21 Day Fix: 1 YELLOW, 1 GREEN, 1/2 BLUE, 1 ORANGE (per serving)

WW: Green- 6 points w/o dressing, 10 points w/ dressing; Blue – 6 points w/o dressing, 10 points w/ dressing; Purple- 4 points w/o dressing, 8 points w/ dressing [Calculated using whole wheat rotini pasta]

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups

Keywords: pasta, dinner, lunch, greek, side, pasta salad, whole grain, gluten-free, vegetarian