Greek Pasta Salad with a Lemon Vinaigrette

Our Greek pasta salad features rigatoni pasta, tomatoes, feta cheese, and red onions tossed in a lemon vinaigrette made with minced garlic and red wine vinegar.

It’s been over 2 years since we posted this recipe. Kim and I felt it was time to revisit it and update the content for our readers.

As you may have already guessed, we love salads! Even simple ones, like our tomato avocado salad. Which, by the way, you have to try; it’s so tasty.

But, let’s stay focused on this Greek pasta salad with a lemon vinaigrette. The name says it all. A delicious Mediterranean style pasta salad tossed in a citrus vinaigrette.

If you’re looking for a creamy pasta salad, then check out our easy macaroni salad recipe.

How long is Greek pasta salad good for in the fridge?

Usually, you can store a pasta salad, in a sealed container, in your fridge for up to 3 days. However, if you only cover it in plastic wrap, it may go bad after 2 days.

How to make our pasta salad recipe:

First, cook your pasta per the box instructions. Use a colander to drain the pasta and set it aside.

Make sure to run cold water over the noodles and drain the pasta again before setting them aside. This will cool the pasta and stop the cooking process.

After that, halve your olives, thinly slice the red onions, and halve the tomatoes.

How to make a lemon vinaigrette?

Next, to create the vinaigrette grab a medium sized mixing bowl and a small metal whisk.

Use a whisk to combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, black pepper, oregano, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

Now, be sure to mix everything well. Sometimes, I use a mason jar with a lid to create my dressings.

Simply toss everything into the jar, seal it, and shake vigorously for 20 seconds. That’s all there is too it.

Then, in a large mixing bowl, combine the pasta noodles, feta cheese, tomatoes, olives, and red onion.

Last, toss everything together with the lemon dressing and serve.

That’s it, the Greek pasta salad with a lemon vinaigrette is done! Kim and I hope you enjoy the meal and wish you all the best 🙂

Recipe Tips:

• Once the noodles have finished cooking, drain them, then run cold water over them for 60-90 seconds to cool them off. This will stop the cooking process and keep the pasta from becoming gummy and overcooked.
• Due to the salty nature of feta cheese and briny olives, this dish can become “over-salted.” I recommend starting with a teaspoon of salt in the dressing. After everything is tossed together, taste test the dish, then add more salt if needed.
• I see a lot of recipes that call for cucumber and other veggies. Don’t be afraid to experiment with other ingredients.

Greek Pasta Salad with a Lemon Vinaigrette

5 from 32 votes

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 8 Servings

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Equipment

• Ball 32-Ounce Mason Jars
• Medium Saucepan

Ingredients

Lemon Vinaigrette

• 1/3 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
• 1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
• 1 Tsp. Sea Salt (or less if you salt your pasta water)
• 1/4 Tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 Tsp. Dried Oregano
• 1 Tblsp. Lemon Zest
• 1 Tblsp. Fresh Lemon Juice

Greek Pasta Salad

• 12 Ounces Dry Rigatoni (or other tube pasta)
• 6 Ounces Feta (crumbled)
• 8 Ounces Cherry or Grape Tomatoes (halved)
• 8 Ounces Kalamata Olives (halved, pitted)
• 2 Ounces Red Onion (thinly sliced)

Instructions

• Cook your pasta per the box instructions. Strain it and set it aside. Slice your olives, red onions, and tomatoes.
• In a medium mixing bowl, make the lemon vinaigrette by whisking together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, salt, black pepper, oregano, lemon juice, and lemon zest. 
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the noodles, feta cheese, tomatoes, olives, and red onion. 
• Toss the pasta salad ingredients with the dressing and serve. Store any leftovers in a sealed container, in your fridge, for up to 3 days.

Notes

The calories listed are an approximation based on the ingredients and a serving size of 2 ounces of pasta. Actual calories will vary. The Greek pasta salad can be stored in your fridge for up to 3 days in a sealed container.

Nutrition

Serving: 4Ounces | Calories: 346kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 669mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g