Greek Pasta Salad with Spinach

Easy Greek Pasta Salad makes a perfect side dish or lunch!  A crowd favorite recipe – great for parties, picnics, and potlucks.   Toss together al dente penne pasta, cherry tomatoes, chopped olives, spinach, and creamy feta cheese!  Pour in a homemade Greek salad vinaigrette!  This salad is healthy, refreshing, and loaded with veggies!

There are all kinds of Greek pasta salads out there.  I wanted to make a salad that would be a little bit different from a regular Greek salad.  A simple salad that would combine pasta, veggies, and a homemade or store-bought Greek salad dressing.

I decided to use spinach, chopped olives, cherry tomatoes, and creamy Feta.  I omitted the “usual” Greek salad ingredients, such as cucumbers, artichokes, and bell peppers.  This healthy salad tastes like something you would eat in a Mediterranean restaurant!  So good and refreshing!  Especially when combined with something like these easy Italian ravioli.

Fresh Mediterranean-style salads are always a welcome addition to any dinner table.  My other two favorites are Greek tortellini salad and tomato mozzarella salad.

Greek pasta salad is always a favorite side dish at parties, barbecues or potlucks.   It’s a great make-ahead dish – simple and quick.  Combine this easy salad with grilled chicken or Mediterranean chicken with sun-dried tomatoes to make a complete meal!

Greek Pasta Salad

• Greek salad is a highly flexible side dish.  You can use many kinds of veggies.  Use regular tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes.  Use artichokes, bell peppers, cucumbers, red onions, green onions.
• There are many ways you can add a Mediterranean accent to the Greek salad.  Use capers, olives, or marinated bell peppers.  You can also try roasted sweet peppers or marinated mild pepperoncini peppers.

Variations

• Make this Greek salad gluten free by using gluten free pasta.  There are so many varieties of fun pasta on the market these days.  Use gluten-free lentil pasta, quinoa pasta, brown rice pasta, etc.
• This recipe is adaptable to any type of short pasta.  Try rotini, rigatoni, bow ties, penne, macaroni, spiral pasta.
• Want a creamier salad dressing?  Add Greek yogurt.
• Use pitted black olives or pitted calamata olives.
• Use a homemade or store-bought Greek salad dressing.  Either way, this quick and easy salad will be a delicious side dish.

How to make Greek Pasta Salad

• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water.  Rinse with cold water.  Drain.
• In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta, chopped spinach, and sliced cherry tomatoes.  Add sliced black olives, and crumbled Feta cheese.
• Pour Greek Salad Vinaigrette to the bowl with the salad ingredients.  Mix to combine.

How to make Greek Salad Dressing

• In a medium bowl, combine together olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, minced garlic. Whisk together until emulsified.
• Add Greek yogurt to make the salad dressing creamier (OPTIONAL).

More Pasta Salad Recipes

• Broccoli Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
• Basil Pesto Tortellini with Chicken and Zucchini
• Pesto Chicken Tortellini with Veggies

Greek Pasta Salad with Spinach

Easy Greek Pasta Salad – perfect make-ahead side dish for parties and picnics.  A simple salad that combines al dente pasta, healthy veggies, and a Greek salad dressing. Tastes like something you would eat in a Mediterranean restaurant.

Greek Salad Dressing

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic (, minced)
• salt and pepper (, to taste)

Greek Pasta Salad

• 8 oz penne pasta (, uncooked)
• 6 oz spinach (, fresh, chopped)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes (, yellow, each sliced in half)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes (, red, each sliced in half)
• 1/2 cup black olives (, pitted, thinly sliced)
• 1/2 cup feta cheese (, crumbled)

Cook pasta

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Rinse with cold water. Drain.

How to make Greek vinaigrette

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, minced garlic.

How to make Greek pasta salad

1. In a large bowl combine cooked penne pasta, chopped spinach, and sliced cherry tomatoes.  Add sliced black olives, and crumbled feta cheese.

2.  Pour the salad dressing over the pasta salad. Stir to combine.

• This Greek pasta salad tastes the best if you let it rest for 2 hours.  This allows the flavors to get absorbed.
• Store the salad in the fridge for up to 4 days, in an airtight container.
• After you added the dressing, season the salad with salt and pepper, if needed.
• For creamier dressing add a touch of Greek yogurt.

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