Quick and Easy Greek Pasta Salad

I'm a Detroiter and here we love our Coney Islands. And while I won't eat a Coney Dog, I do love a crispy Greek Salad (no tomato, no olives, Grecian Pita, dressing on the side, IYKYK).

So I went ahead and turned my cravings for that salad, into a Greek Pasta Salad combining my love of pasta, dishes with 7 ingredients or less, and easy to make recipes. I keep this in the fridge when there are guests in town, make it as a side dish when we grill, and sometimes just hover over the bowl, shoving it in my face as a snack mid-afternoon. (Isn't that how all mom's eat lunch?)

And it's really so simple to make. Just boil the pasta, open a can of chickpeas, cut up some veggies and voila, ingredients ready to assemble. Not to worry, if Greek flavors aren't your thing, try out this Zesty Italian Pasta Salad instead. It uses the same method, just different veggies and dressing.

Ingredients

• Pasta: I like to use farfelle (aka bowties), but any short, non-tubular pasta will work. Pastas like gemelli, rotini, and fusili are good alternatives.
• Garbanzo Beans: Also known as chickpeas, I suggest buying them in a can and then rinsing before adding to the pasta salad.
• Feta cheese: You want to use full fat Feta and crumble it up well, so it will be well distributed throughout your pasta salad.
• Red onion: You can slice into rings and then cut those up or just chop your onion.
• Beets: Regular canned beets work great, but you can also roast your own if you'd like.
• Cucumbers: Small cucumbers work great. I like the snack size or Israeli cucumber size.

Homemade Greek dressing vs. Store Bought

The homemade dressing recipe I've included is super simple to make. Put all of the ingredients into a mason jar and shake, shake, shake...awesome Greek dressing in under 2 minutes.

However, you may not always want to make your own dressing and that's totally fine. Grab your favorite Greek salad dressing and use that instead of the homemade one. This is all about keeping it simple, so do what's easiest for you!

Step by Step Instructions

Start by cooking your pasta according to directions the directions on the box for al dente pasta. When the pasta is done cooking drain and then let sit while you finish prepping the remainder of the ingredients.

If you are making a homemade dressing, add all the ingredients to a weck or mason jar and shake, shake, shake while your pasta boils.

Chop up your cucumber, rinse the chickpeas and chop up the beets, and olive if using.

Grab your serving bowl and put the pasta in first, then add the veggies, and feta. Stir everything well to combine, then pour the Greek dressing over the top.

Now stir the dressing and pasta salad together to make sure every last piece of pasta and veggies have the Greek dressing on them. That's where the flavor in this recipe comes from!

While you can serve the pasta salad immediately, I like to make this ahead of time. Simply cover the bowl and keep in fridge until you are ready to serve. It will keep for up to 5 days. Be sure to stir it one or twice a day to help the flavors continue to meld together instead of sitting at the bottom of your bowl.

Additions and Variations

You can add all sorts of other vegetables to your Greek Pasta Salad. Try these for additional veggie power:

• Marinated artichokes: I love them in this pasta bake too. Try to get the grilled ones from Trader Joes, they are delish.
• Cherry tomatoes: Leave them whole or cut them in half
• Hearts of palm: Drain well before adding to your salad.
• Capers
• Pepperoncini
• Black Olives: While olives are traditionally found in Greek Salad, I don't like them one bit. However, my family does, so these are an optional addition. You do you!
• Hard Boiled Eggs: Dice up the egg whites for some added protein.

And , if you want to turn this dish from a side dish into a main dish, try these ideas:

• Shred a pre-made rotisserie chicken for a one bowl Greek chicken pasta salad dinner (for those who keep kosher, just leave out the feta).
• Open a can of tuna, drain, and toss in with the rest of your ingredients.
• Broil a piece of salmon and flake it into the salad.
• Make it vegan, by subbing the feta cheese for seasoned tofu. Season your tofu with Cavendar’s Greek Seasoning and sear it in a grill pan before adding to the pasta salad
• Make a Greek Tortellini pasta salad by swapping the farfelle for tiny tortellini pasta.

If you are going to add in any of the suggested proteins, I would make sure to double the dressing.  You’ll want to make sure that the whole salad is seasoned really well!

Storage Tips

While you can make this and eat it right away, making it a day or even two days in advance works great.  The flavors come together really nicely with time. Just be sure to give it a stir a few times to make sure all the ingredients are getting combined well.

Other Mediterranean inspired recipes

Can you believe you can make such delicious, fresh food with 7 ingredients or less? Check out these other recipe inspired by some of my favorite places in "The Med".

📖 Recipe