Greek Pasta Salad with Cucumbers and Artichoke Hearts

This Greek pasta salad features feta cheese and a zesty dressing that tops crunchy cucumbers, red peppers, and artichoke hearts.

Just like a signature scent, song, and style, every home cook should have a defining dish that sets us apart from the pack. A recipe we can rely on, time and time again. This Greek pasta salad recipe is just one of mine, and I know it like the back of my hand. It’s right up there with this potato salad recipe, macaroni salad, and my favorite Greek chicken marinade. I’ve got them all memorized and ready to pull out of my back pocket. This Greek pasta salad is teeming with bright colors, a variety of textures, and so much flavor–you’re going to love it!

Why You’ll Love It

• This Greek pasta salad is adaptable and flexible depending on the ingredients I have — or don’t have — in the pantry or refrigerator
• It only takes 30 minutes to make
• This salad makes a lot of servings, so it’s great for a crowd

Greek Pasta Salad Ingredients List

This simple Greek pasta salad recipe combines a lot of salty, briny flavors with bright, fruity ones. The Kalamata olives are a must for me in this pasta salad, as are the artichoke hearts and white balsamic vinegar.

• Olive oil—for our Greek dressing
• White balsamic vinegar—gives our vinaigrette great acidity without turning our pasta salad an unattractive brown color!
• Garlic—gives so much flavor to this pasta salad
• Dried oregano—a must for the Greek dressing
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper—always, for flavor
• Pasta—I used fettuccine for this but you could use any pasta you like (a long or a short noodle–either works great)
• Artichoke hearts—I like marinated, jarred artichokes for this pasta salad
• Roasted red bell peppers—I love the bright pop of color and subtle smokiness they lend (you could also use fresh red bell pepper if you wanted)
• Kalamata olives—for some brine
• Cucumber—for a cool crunch
• Red onion—for color and crunch, and a bit of bite
• Feta cheese—for a salty bite
• Fresh basil—for color and a fresh, herbaceous flavor

How to Make Greek Pasta Salad

• Make the Greek salad dressing.
• Cook the pasta. Be sure to give it a few minutes to cool off before tossing it with the rest of the ingredients (you don’t want to melt the feta).
• Toss it up. Add all of the pasta salad ingredients to a large bowl and toss to combine. I like to reserve some of the feta cheese to sprinkle on top — it makes the dish look a little more pulled together. You can also garnish this easy pasta salad with slivered fresh basil leaves.

Can I Prep This Pasta Salad in Advance?

I think this Greek pasta salad with feta tastes better after it’s had time to sit in the fridge for a bit. The pasta soaks up the extra Greek dressing, making each bite even more flavorful. You can let this pasta salad chill overnight if needed. Don’t let it sit for more than a day before serving it though, because the pasta will become soggy over time.

What’s the Best Pasta for Pasta Salad?

You can make Greek pasta salad with just about any pasta noodle. Use egg noodles, long pasta, short or shell pasta, gluten-free, or whatever you have in your pantry. When I’m feeling a bit more virtuous, I make this whole wheat Greek pasta salad.

Recipe Tips and  Variations

This is not baking. This is not science. It’s about having the basic ratio and flavor profiles down and then cooking on the fly. Play with this pasta salad recipe as much as you’d like.

Here are a few ideas for how to make this Greek pasta salad your own:

• Stick within the Greek flavor mode, and add more vegetables or less. My husband LOVES the crunch of cucumber so that’s always his number one request but you could toss in zucchini here too. My number one request is artichoke hearts so they nearly always go in. I usually use artichoke hearts in water rather than in oil, but if that’s all I have on hand, either one works. I used roasted red bell pepper here, but fresh diced bell pepper of any color is delicious too. And pretty much any flavor of olives will do. Other Mediterranean flavor ingredients to add might include avocado, arugula, capers, pepperoncini, chickpeas, and sun-dried tomatoes instead of fresh cherry tomatoes.
• Play the herb game. I used fresh basil to garnish and flavor this salad but oregano, dill, marjoram, parsley, and thyme all work, too.
• Dress it up. I always use a fruity olive oil for this salad dressing but as long as you keep the same ratios in mind, use your choice of white balsamic, red wine vinegar, or lemon juice for tang. If you use regular balsamic vinegar be aware that your dressing will be dark and so will your pasta salad.
• Give it a rest. After making the pasta salad, let the flavors sit for ½ hour before serving or overnight so they have a proper chance to meld together.

Storage Tips

This Greek pasta salad will keep stored in a Tupperware container in the fridge for about 3 days.

What to Serve with Greek Pasta Salad

• The Best Grilled Salmon
• Grilled Greek Chicken Kebabs
• The Best Greek Chicken
• Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce
• Mediterranean Grilled Pork Chops with Tomato Salad

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a  star rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

4.46 from 133 votes

Greek Pasta Salad with Cucumbers and Artichoke Hearts

This Greek pasta salad will be your go-to summer salad with tangy feta cheese, kalamata olives and a homemade dressing that tops crunchy cucumbers, red peppers and artichoke hearts.

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Course Salad

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword Greek Pasta Salad

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 10 -12

Calories 415.43kcal

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ½ cup fruity olive oil
• ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic , minced or pressed
• 2 tablespoons dry oregano
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound pasta noodles , cooked, drained and cooled*
• 2 15- ounce cans quartered artichoke hearts in brine , drained
• 1 12- ounce jar roasted red bell peppers slivered or chopped
• 1 8- ounce jar kalamata olives , halved
• 1 hot house cucumber , cut into ⅜" slices
• ¼ red onion , thinly sliced
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• ⅓ cup fresh slivered or chopped basil leaves

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Instructions

• To make the dressing, in a small bowl or a jar fitted with a lid, add the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper and whisk well to combine. Let sit at room temperature for flavors to blend.
• Add the cooked pasta, artichoke hearts, roasted bell peppers, olives, cucumber, onion, and half of the feta cheese to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss gently to mix. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper or more olive oil if needed. Add the rest of the feta cheese to the top of the pasta salad and top with more fresh basil if desired. Let the flavors sit for ½ hour before serving or overnight.

Notes

*You can make Greek pasta salad with just about any type of pasta noodle. Use egg noodles, long pasta, short or shell pasta, whole wheat, gluten-free, or whatever happens to be in the pantry.

 

After making the pasta salad, let the flavors sit for ½ hour before serving or overnight so they have a proper chance to meld together.

Nutrition

Calories: 415.43kcal | Carbohydrates: 42.54g | Protein: 9.54g | Fat: 23.15g | Saturated Fat: 4.9g | Cholesterol: 13.35mg | Sodium: 1490.27mg | Potassium: 244.34mg | Fiber: 4.46g | Sugar: 3.99g | Vitamin A: 917.97IU | Vitamin C: 28.94mg | Calcium: 146.97mg | Iron: 2.06mg

More Greek Salad Recipes to Try

• Greek Chickpea Salad
• Greek Cobb Salad
• Greek Potato Salad
• Greek Panzanella
• Greek Salad with Chicken
• Greek Chicken Gyro Salad
• Horiatiki (Traditional Greek Salad)

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