Tender penne pasta coated in a creamy homemade Greek dressing with crumbled creamy feta cheese, lightly roasted pine nuts, sundried tomatoes, kalamata olives and fresh basil. This pasta salad is full of Greek flavours, and it’s fresh, bright and filling!
I love the simple combination of ingredients for this pasta salad since it’s not too overpowering and works well as a side dish. I chose add-ins that I thought worked well together and that wouldn’t cause the pasta salad to become too soft if it’s made ahead of time or refrigerated for a couple of days.
This easy Greek pasta salad recipe can be customized to your taste buds! You could add thinly sliced red onion, chickpeas for some extra protein, artichoke hearts, sliced cherry tomatoes instead of sundried tomatoes, or even red peppers or green bell peppers for more colour.
RECIPE TIPS
- Al dente penne pasta is the key to making a delicious pasta salad (at least, I think so). It’s best to have the pasta be al dente (meaning that it shouldn’t be hard but slightly chewy as you bite into it). This is important since we’re combining the penne pasta with creamy Greek dressing, so we don’t want the pasta to get mushy.
- It’s important to rinse the penne pasta well with cold water after you strain it. This will help prevent the penne pasta from sticking together and will stop the cooking process so that the penne pasta doesn’t overcook.
- If you don’t have penne pasta, you can use another short-grain pasta like bowtie, rigatoni, or even cheese tortellini, which would be really good!!
- For best results, refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Feta cheese and kalamata olives are salty, so it’s best to combine all of the ingredients together in a bowl (including the penne) and then add salt or pepper to taste afterwards.
INGREDIENT NOTES
Penne: I like to use penne pasta since it’s one of my favourites, but you can use a different pasta shape. I would recommend a small pasta shape instead of spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine for this Greek pasta salad.
Mayo: If you’d like the Greek dressing to be creamier, you can add more mayo. It’s best to use a whisk to mix the dressing once you’ve added in the mayo.
Honey: I like adding a little bit of honey or sugar to the dressing to reduce acidity.
Cavender’s Greek seasoning: I really love this seasoning, and I feel like it elevates the Greek flavours. But if you don’t have it on hand or don’t want to use it, then you may need to add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning salt.
Kalamata olives: Kalamata olives are a dark purple colour and full of antioxidants. Plus, they’re delicious! Kalamata olives are slightly salty and the perfect add-in to this Greek pasta salad.
Pine nuts: Pine nuts add a little bit of texture. If you have a nut allergy or don’t want to add them, no worries! You can leave them out or substitute roasted chickpeas for some extra plant-based protein.
Feta cheese: Feta cheese in brine tends to have more flavour, and you can use a fork or your hands to crumble the feta into smaller pieces at home. I love Krinos Greek feta, but you can use any type of feta that you like. If you don’t have feta or like the taste, you could substitute bocconcini to give this dish a creamy, milder flavour than with feta.
Fresh basil: Fresh basil adds a lot of flavour to this pasta salad. For this recipe, I wouldn’t recommend substituting dried basil for fresh basil.
HOW TO MAKE GREEK PASTA SALAD WITH PENNE: STEP BY STEP
STEP 1: Roast the pine nuts and prepare the creamy Greek salad dressing. Preheat your oven to 200°F on bake. Once the oven is preheated, place the pinenuts in a small baking pan and bake them in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly roasted. Once they’re lightly toasted, remove the pine nuts from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
In a large bowl, combine the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, Greek seasoning, seasoning salt, honey, garlic powder, and mayo. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and set aside.
STEP 2: Boil the penne pasta. Boil the penne pasta in a large pot of salted water and follow the package cooking time for al dente penne. The penne pasta will be ready when it’s still a bit chewy or tender. While the pasta cooks, slice the sundried tomatoes into thin slices. Then, finely slice the fresh basil and slice the Kalamata olives into halves over quarters. Crumble the feta into smaller pieces using a fork or your hands.
STEP 3: Assemble the pasta salad. Strain the pasta and rinse it well with cold water. This will prevent the penne pasta from sticking together and will help prevent the pasta from becoming overcooked. Add the cooked, cooled pasta to the large bowl with the dressing and stir until the penne pasta is well coated in the Greek dressing.
Add in the roasted pine nuts, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, kalamata olives, and crumbled feta cheese. Mix well together, cover the pasta salad with saran wrap, and refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 30 minutes before serving.
STORING & SERVING
You can store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container. Because there’s mayonnaise in the Greek salad dressing, this pasta salad shouldn’t stay out at room temperature for more than two hours. Give this Greek pasta salad a quick stir before serving. Enjoy!
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Greek Pasta Salad With Penne
Ingredients
Creamy Greek Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1/4 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Greek all-purpose seasoning Cavender’s
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
Greek Pasta Salad
- 1 package of penne pasta 500 grams / 1.1 lb.
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil to add to the boiling pasta water
- 1 teaspoon salt to add to the boiling pasta water
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes drained and sliced
- 1/4 cup pine nuts lightly toasted
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1/2 cup fresh basil thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives pitted and sliced
Instructions
- Roast the pine nuts and prepare the creamy Greek salad dressing. Preheat your oven to 200°F on bake. Once the oven is preheated, place the pine nuts in a small baking pan and bake them in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly roasted. Once they're toasted, remove the pine nuts from the oven and allow them to cool completely. In a large bowl, combine the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, Greek seasoning, seasoning salt, honey, garlic powder, and mayo. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and set aside.
- Boil the penne pasta. Boil the penne pasta in a large pot of salted water and follow the package cooking time for al dente penne. The penne pasta will be ready when it's still a bit chewy or tender. While the pasta cooks, slice the sundried tomatoes into thin slices. Then, finely slice the fresh basil, and slice the kalamata olives into halves or quarters. Crumble the feta into smaller pieces with a fork or your hands.
- Assemble the pasta salad. Strain the pasta and rinse it well with cold water. This will prevent the penne pasta from sticking together and will help prevent the pasta from becoming overcooked. Add the cooked, cooled pasta to the large bowl with the dressing and stir until the penne pasta is well coated in the Greek dressing. Add in the roasted pine nuts, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, kalamata olives, and crumbled feta cheese. Mix together, cover the pasta salad with saran wrap, and refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- For best results, the penne pasta should be "al dente" meaning there is a slight chewiness or tenderness to the pasta.
- Rinse the strained pasta with cold water to prevent the penne from sticking together
- Because pine nuts have a high-fat content, it's a good idea to keep an eye on them while they're in the oven so that they don't burn.
- This Greek pasta salad makes a great side dish since the flavours aren't super overpowering, but you can substitute or add more ingredients if you'd like.
Nutrition
Date Published: October 31, 2022
Easy Greek Pasta Salad With Penne
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