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Light Greek Pasta Salad a fresh, flavorful pasta salad that is perfect for lunch, dinner, potlucks, or BBQs! Great as a main dish OR a side dish!
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Something about a delicious pasta salad in the summertime is filling and nutritious. It’s just a great way to eat something cold and refreshing, but with a little more bulk than some green salads provide. Plus, who doesn’t love a good plate of pasta? Especially when it tastes as delicious as this one. You’ll love the blend of flavors!
This light Greek pasta salad is so fresh and light. The tangy lemon and sweet honey in the dressing, the fresh mint and bitter olives, and the added crunch of the cucumbers and red onions combine to make every bite a delight! With so much flavor, you would never guess that this salad is a healthier version of a regular Light Greek Pasta Salad.
Light Greek Pasta Salad Ingredients
Prepare and mix all the ingredients together to get the best results! Each ingredient has its own flavor that is filled with zest, crunch, and a sweet and savory blend all mixed together. It is a simple recipe that will be made over and over again!
- Penne pasta – A round, long tubular pasta that absorbs the liquid from the dressing but also keeps its shape and doesn’t get mushy. Cook them in a large pot al dente. Bowtie pasta also works for this recipe.
- Cucumbers – Slice the crisp cucumbers thinly. You do not need to peel the cucumbers.
- Grape tomatoes – Wash and slice the cherry tomatoes in halves. They are usually juicy tomatoes and may lose some of the insides after cutting.
- Greek kalamata olives – Purchase canned Greek kalamata olives from the grocery store. Drain and rinse them. Slice each one in half or quarters. These have a zesty flavor!
- Red onion – Cut and chop the red onion into small pieces.
- Fresh mint leaves – Perfect for garnish!
- Feta cheese – Sprinkle over top and let the flavors blend together in every bite.
Homemade Pasta Salad Dressing
We love a good Greek salad dressing! This is light and refreshing in every way. It has extra-virgin olive oil mixed with zesty lemon juice, honey to sweeten, and dijon mustard for all savory! A well-blended dressing!
- Lemon juice – Bring on the zest with the lemon juice. This is easy to cut a fresh lemon in half and squeeze both sides for fresh juice.
- Dijon mustard – I love dijon mustard for its raw and delicious flavor. It brings in savory flavors and blends them all together.
- Extra virgin olive oil – This is your base that will bind the dressing together while adding a bit of flavor.
- Honey – An added natural sweetener that will make this greek pasta salad recipe even better!
- Lemon peel – After squeezing the lemon juice out, simply peel or grate the lemon skin. It is a sweet and easy way to add a little extra to this homemade dressing.
How to Make Easy Pasta Salad
This Greek pasta salad will come together in less than 30 minutes. The preparation of the ingredients takes the most time. Cooking the pasta al dente, then chopping and slicing vegetables, stir together and make this unforgettable pasta salad everyone loves!
- Pasta – Cook pasta according to package directions. Boil until softened then drain the pasta and rinse well with cold water.
- Whisk – In a small bowl, combine all of the dressing ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
- Prepare veggies – Add cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, red onion, and mint leaves to the pasta in a large bowl. Toss together.
- Combine – Pour dressing over the pasta and vegetables and gently mix. Sprinkle with feta cheese.
- Refrigerating- Set in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving will really bring out the flavors in the salad.
“So refreshing and easy to make! Will make again.”
-Tara
Frequently Asked Questions
There are only 2 tablespoons of olive oil in this dressing. The extra creaminess comes from the Dijon mustard and honey. I love any kind of pasta salad, but I can usually do without the heavy dressings, especially when the pasta is drowning in it. This is definitely not the case with this salad. The dressing doesn’t overpower the pasta and the vegetables. It’s always better when these fresh ingredients get to speak for themselves.
Greek pasta salad is loaded with tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, red onion, sometimes bell peppers, and feta cheese over top. It is coated with a light and tasty Greek salad dressing.
It is best not to over or under-cook the pasta. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water. This helps it cook quicker and adds flavor to the salt mixture. Not using the right size and shape of pasta. Making your pasta salad too far in advance can lead to it going bad too soon.
Greek salad is high in vitamins A and C, potassium, and iron. Tomatoes help the body reduce heart disease and cucumbers help with weight loss and low blood sugar.
Make It A Main Dish
This light greek pasta salad is a meal in itself, but if you want to make it a little heartier you can add grilled chicken or serve it as a side with one of our favorite dishes as a side dish. If you are a fan of the tastes of the Mediterranean, you may also like our pizzas too!
Light Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne pasta 2 cups uncooked
- 2 medium cucumbers seeded and chopped
- 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes cut in half
- 3/4 cup pitted Greek Kalamata olives cut in half
- 1/2 red onion sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves chopped
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
Dressing
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon peel grated
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- In a small bowl, combine all of the dressing ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
- Drain pasta and rinse well with cold water.
- Add cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, red onion, and mint leaves to the pasta.
- Pour dressing over the pasta and vegetables and gently mix. Sprinkle with feta cheese.
- Refrigerating for at least 1 hour before serving will really bring out the flavors in the salad.
Nutrition Information
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Such a delicious pasta. So much flavor!
So refreshing and easy to make! Will make again.
YUM!! I would love this for lunch!
I love Greek pasta salads! And this recipe is so fantastic! 🙂
Super easy! Very fresh and tasty!!
I love you guys very much.
🙂 Thanks!
I am planning a family reunion and looking forward to being with the family, however, cooking and food are not my strengths, but ideas from this blog are giving me some encouragement and excitement about this upcoming challenge. Thank you.
Have you seen our Reunion Meal Planning Guide?? It would be perfect for you! Here is the link: https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/ultimate-family-reunion-meal-guide/
Hope this helps!