Pasta salad is a classic summer recipe, and a must at all potlucks! This Mediterranean pasta salad has sweet heirloom cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, mild red onions, salty feta crumbles, briny capers, and is tossed in the most amazing homemade red wine vinegar and herb dressing.
Throwing a summer bbq? Try my Potluck Potato Salad, Freezer Pickles, Brown Sugar Baked Beans, Smoked Ribs, or Coffee-Rubbed Burgers.
Pasta salads are such an iconic summer food… in fact, at just about every cookout this summer, you’ll probably see a bowl of pasta salad.
Everyone loves the complex flavors, and they’re the ultimate thing to BRING to a cookout, because you can make them up ahead of time.
That being said, some pasta salads are… well… pretty boring! A handful of shredded cheese, mushy pasta, arbitrary vegetable, and some bottled dressing… sound familiar?
I bet it does… we’ve all had it before. Except pasta salad can actually be amazing when done right!
In fact, several readers have emailed me to let me know that this exact recipe won 1st place in a potluck dish contest!
This is the one pasta salad recipe that you NEED. It’s mayo-free so you don’t need to worry about it spoiling out in the heat, and the flavors of that homemade dressing are just insane!!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST PASTA SALAD
Basic pasta salad has 4 main components; pasta, vegetables, cheese/meat, and dressing. Here are my tips to truly make the best pasta salad ever!
CHOOSE THE RIGHT PASTA
I prefer short cut pasta for pasta salad, for ease of eating. For this recipe I usually go with bowtie pasta or rotini, but any short cut variety will do.
I’ve seen pasta salad made with longer pasta noodles, like linguine, but I find it’s harder to serve and eat that way.
USE THE FRESHEST VEGETABLES
Vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers are in season during the summer months, so they’ll likely be fresh and beautiful. I love to add some red onion to the dish as well, to add a sharp savory flavor.
If you don’t like the bite of raw red onion, you can soak the red onion slices in cold water for 10-15 minutes, and then drain well. This will tame the flavor considerably.
ADD BOLD FLAVORS WITH CHEESE AND/OR MEAT
This recipe is a vegetarian one, but you could easily add some sliced pepperoni or salami to bump up the protein.
I love to add a bold cheese to really pump up the flavor! Feta, Parmesan, sharp cheddar, etc.
MAKE THE DRESSING YOURSELF
I know it may seem like an unnecessary step, since a bottle of Italian dressing is so convenient, but homemade truly is the way to go.
Making a dressing takes just minutes, and I promise you, tastes 100x better than anything from a bottle.
ADDITIONAL COOKING TIPS
- THE PASTA – cook the pasta JUST to al dente, possibly even a little shy of al dente if you like more of a bite to your pasta. Mushy pasta doesn’t make for a very appetizing pasta salad.
- THE DRESSING – looking for a great marinade for chicken or pork? The dressing for this salad is PERFECT as a marinade!
VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE
- PROTEIN – to make this pasta salad recipe non-vegetarian, try adding some mini slices of pepperoni, or salami!
- DIFFERENT CHEESES – instead of Feta, try using some shredded Parmesan, tiny cubes of cheddar, etc.
- DIFFERENT VEGGIES – zucchini, olives, bell peppers, etc are great additions to this pasta salad. Use what’s looking fresh and amazing at the store!
- CREAMY – whisk a few tablespoons of mayonnaise into your homemade dressing to make this a creamier pasta salad.
MAKING PASTA SALAD AHEAD OF TIME
Pasta salad recipes are the most popular thing to bring to a party or potluck. Not only are they always a favorite, they’re also the perfect make-ahead recipe!
In fact, this recipe tastes BETTER if made ahead of time. I usually make mine 4-6 hours before eating it, but 1-2 days ahead works just as well.
Pro Tip: Make a little extra dressing and toss the made ahead pasta salad with it before serving. It will make the salad taste freshly made and prevent any dryness.
STORAGE
Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
I love to add some leftover grilled chicken (or shredded rotisserie chicken – whatever you have on hand) to the leftover pasta salad for an easy lunch idea!
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERS’ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.
AND DON’T FORGET, IF YOU’VE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU ENJOYED IT!
Recipe originally published in 2016 and has been updated in 2020 with additional information
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
PASTA SALAD
- 1 box uncooked short-cut pasta (I used farfalle but rotini or penne work as well), 16oz
- 2/3 cup sliced red onions
- 1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes halved (regular cherry or grape tomatoes work as well)
- 1 cup diced cucumbers
- 1/4 cup pickled capers jarred
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
HOMEMADE DRESSING
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 1/2 tsp lemon juice freshly squeezed if possible
- 2 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp fresh minced oregano
- 2 tsp fresh minced parsley
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil over HIGH heat. Salt the water with about a tablespoon of salt. Add pasta and cook until just al dente (according to package instructions).
- Drain pasta and toss with a light drizzle of olive oil. Set aside to cool slightly.
- While pasta is cooling, chop tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion. Set aside in a large mixing bowl and add capers to the bowl.
- Add dressing ingredients, except for olive oil, to a bowl and whisk to combine. While whisking, slowly pour in the olive oil, and continue whisking until completely combined. Taste and adjust salt and pepper accordingly.
- Add the cooked pasta and crumbled feta cheese to the large bowl with the vegetables. Pour dressing over the top and toss to combine.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours, up to 2 days.
- Serve cold or at room temperature, and enjoy!
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Chef Tips
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Trisa OBrien says
I have a 16oz bow tie plain noodles, how many cups of noodles should I use, don’t they double in size? Thank you
The Chunky Chef says
Are your noodles dried? If so, just use the full amount, as this recipe calls for 16 oz dried farfalle (which is bowtie).
Susan says
This recipe was good , however family stated not much flavour( did use both oreganos)
I being Italian redid recipe with paprika and only fresh oregano and pink sea salt . Much more flavour!
Jan Saunders says
Wow! I just made this recipe to take to a BBQ. It is sublime. Also,
Definiteley the best dressing I have ever made. I will make the whole dish again for sure, but I will also make the dressing to use on other things. I added black olives, because I think no greek dish is complete without Kalamata Olives.
Annette Daniel says
Just a question🤷🏻♀️ Am i missing it or is there NO OIL in this dressing?
The Chunky Chef says
The second to last ingredient in the dressing section of the ingredient list shows the 3/4 cup olive oil.
Kat says
The dressing recipe calls for dried and fresh oregano. Is that correct? Just making sure! This recipe sounds amazing. Can’t wait to make it for our NFL fantasy football draft on Monday.
The Chunky Chef says
Yep, it uses both 🙂 Hope you love it as much as we do!
Kara says
Just made it and letting it marinate in the fridge! Can already tell it’s going to be a recipe I’ll come back to from the taste test. Very versatile. I added an ear of grilled corn, peas and broccoli just because I had them and the colors look so pretty to your ingredient list. Thanks for a great recipe.
Sally Seibert says
Keeper, keeper, keeper!!
I had multiple requests for this recipe, before the party was over. Made a fresh batch to share with the ladies at work. And it was gone before lunch. Again, multiple requests for recipe. I used short pasta with ruffles to hold all the goodies in. Recipe fed about 15 That’s 1 lb of pasta. I added 1c of matchstick carrots, and used fresh basil and dill. Instead of parsley and oregano.
constance says
This just did not have enough flavor to me. I followed the recipe exactly. but it just lacked something. It was very pretty, but for a southern cook this just did not make it to my go-to list. Not sure what could have made it more flavorful, but it sure needed something.
Jan Saunders says
How much flavour do you want? It has masses of exciting flavours
maybe some of your ingredients weren’t fresh and their flavour had faded!
Kathryn C Patterson says
Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe. We had a surprise dinner for my parents anniversary at my house. I barbecued, had 2 salads, this pasta salad being one of them. EVERYONE loved it! My mom insisted on taking what was left of the pasta salad home with them 😋.
Kathleen says
Hi Amanda
Do you think the oregano could be substituted with fresh dill?
Would it change the flavor too much?
Thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
It would change the flavor, as dill has a very distinct and strong flavor. You could always use dried oregano if you’d like (just use about 1/3 or 1/2 the amount of fresh listed), or if you really love dill, you can give it a try 🙂
Karina says
Been making this for a few years. This last time the whole family screamed when some fell on the floor. I giggled with satisfaction. Making it for a family reunion tomorrow by popular demand! Even the picky eaters eat all of it!
Jeanne Fiset says
I made this salad for a side dish (one of several )for a wedding x’s it by 20 it was perfect in a 18” pan it was a big hit and completely eaten! I made exactly as recipe stated thanks for the recipe, will make again!
Mary Ellen Madalinski says
Fantastic and so delicious!
Brigitte says
Yes, I made this wonderful salad and it was just delicious! I took it to the Hollywood Bowl in L.A. to a “Sound of Music”, sing-a-long that was packed (Holds 17,000+ people)…Sounded Hokey, but it was so much fun and we all brought food! People Loved it! It made a lot and I brought some home and it was even better the day after! Absolutely delicious, and really pretty! I hadn’t had to bring something to a “potluck” for years, but this was a big hit! I made it with Gluten-free Rotini and all of your ingredients plus a little cut-up white cheddar, too! Thanks so much!
Erica says
Would elbow macaroni noodles work here?
Jan Saunders says
probablt but wont look as pretty as a multi-colour farfalle
Seonhohada says
I will make this salad this weekend, one question, will it be okay if I add canned mandarin oranges?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve never made this pasta salad with oranges, so the flavors may or may not go well together, but if you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out 🙂
Seonhohada says
Hi! So I added canned mandarin oranges, glad I did that. They said it was awesome, flavorful and fresh! Thank you for the recipe!
Tara Hale says
Can I make this the night before?
The Chunky Chef says
Sure can 🙂 Please see the section of the post above the recipe titled “making pasta salad ahead of time” for all the details.
Rosemary says
I made this for dinner recently and got rave reviews! Hubs said I could make it anytime! It’s great with leftover meat or veggies added.
Janet Brost says
Can u help with adjusting the recipe for 80 people? Graduation party coming up & this would be fairly easy to make.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Janet 🙂 I’ve never made this recipe on that scale before, so all I can offer is general assistance. I would multiply all the ingredients by 10 to serve 80 hungry people.
Ann says
This was an easy great recipe. Using cucumbers, tomatoes and capers and onions. Made it in minutes and it went well with barbecue meatballs for a quick snack. Not to mention it was economical to make too.