Looking for a delicious gluten-free pasta salad to add to your menu? Try this creamy Greek pasta salad! It’s loaded with perfectly cooked rotini, crunchy veggies, flavourful feta and olives and tossed in the most amazing yogurt dressing. Great for those summer barbecues and picnics!
Hi friends!
Now that we are full swing ahead into the warmer months, I’m all about easy recipes that require little fuss but still provide tons of flavour.
I’ve always enjoyed pasta salad. Well, I’ve always loved pasta or, um, carbs.
This gluten-free pasta salad is just that.
I remember years ago when hubby and I were only teenagers, going to university, we would often visit the food court at the mall for a little nosh. There was this pizza place where we would love to grab a slice and a big serving of pasta salad. Boy, did I love that place.
These days, I opt to make my own pasta salad and this one is on regular rotation, especially this time of year.
Creamy Greek Salad Dressing
Instead of purely oil or mayo, this pasta salad is tossed with a creamy yogurt dressing.
It’s primarily Greek yogurt (or use Skyr yogurt) along with lots of freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil and seasonings (like dill and oregano).
This yogurt dressing is herbaceous and totally dill forward (which I love). Also delicious on baked potatoes!
Can I Use Another Pasta?
Definitely!
Rotini pasta was used here, but you can use a similar sized noodle, like penne, fusilli or cavatappi.
Tip: Allow your pasta to cool before dressing. Place drained pasta on a baking tray with a tiny bit of olive oil and allow it to cool or rinse and drain with cold water.
Tip: Cook your pasta a little more than “al dente” as it will firm up a little when cool.
Tips and Variations
- Like most pasta salads, this will firm up a little in the fridge. Before enjoying, remove from the fridge for a little bit (about 10 to 15 minutes or so) so it gets a little more lush again.
- Don’t need this to be a gluten-free pasta salad? Use your favourite regular variety.
- If you like more (or less) of a particular ingredient, simply adjust to taste.
- To reduce some of the pungency of your red onion, give the sliced onion a little rinse/drain under cold water before adding to your salad.
- Remove the seeds from your cucumber (so it doesn’t water down your pasta salad).
- This recipe yields quite a bit. You can easily reduce if you are feeding fewer people.
More Summer Salads
I hope this Greek pasta salad makes an appearance on your picnic table this summer season. You’re going to love it!
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
This creamy Greek pasta salad recipe was originally published in May of 2017 but has been updated.
Creamy Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Creamy Dressing
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- ½ cup lemon juice, juiced (from about 3 lemons)
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ½ to 1 teaspoon dried dill (dill weed), depending on how much dill flavour you like
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
Greek Pasta Salad
- 12 ounces dried gluten-free rotini pasta, about a 340 gram box or ¾ pound
- 1 small red bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 small green bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
- ½ large English cucumber, sliced in half, seeds removed and cut into bite-sized pieces (about 1.5 cups)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ½ cup black olives, pitted and sliced
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- Chopped fresh dill leaves or oregano leaves, garnish to taste (optional)
Instructions
Creamy Dressing
- In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, dill, garlic, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Pour over pasta salad, stirring in to coat everything. Set aside.
Pasta
- Cook rotini pasta per package instructions, about 1 to 2 more minutes than al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water. Drain again.
Assemble the Salad With Dressing
- In a large bowl, stir together the pasta, bell peppers, cucumber, grape tomatoes, red onion and olives.
- Add crumbled feta and pour over the creamy dressing. Stir to combine everything.
- Garnish with some fresh dill or oregano if you like. Serve and enjoy!Note: Enjoy immediately or store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3 to 4 days.
Notes
- Like most pasta salads, this will firm up a little in the fridge. Before enjoying, remove from the fridge for a little bit (about 10 to 15 minutes or so) so it gets a little more lush again.
- Don’t need this to be a gluten-free pasta salad? Use your favourite regular variety.
- To reduce some of the pungency of your red onion, give the sliced onion a little rinse and drain under cold water before adding to your salad.
- Remove the seeds from your cucumber (so it doesn’t water down your pasta salad).
- This recipe yields quite a bit. You can easily reduce if you are feeding fewer people.
Nutrition (estimate only)
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Marissa
I do love a good pasta salad, Dawn. This one looks so creamy and fabulous…love all of those Greek flavors!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you! We love it too!
ChefMimi
A really nice pasta salad. I can almost see this served chilled, even though i serve most of mine at least at room temperature. Great picnic food. Love the dressing!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much! It’s always a favourite!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
What a great twist on a pasta salad! I love all the Greek flavors. This would be perfect for summertime barbecues! 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks Kathy! I think so too. 🙂
David @ Spiced
Oh, I am totally craving this pasta salad now, Dawn! My mother-in-law makes an Italian version that I would have to say is one of my top 3 all-time favorite summer recipes. But the Greek spin on this one sounds delicious. I’m thinking a scoop of this pasta salad next to a good grilled backyard burger (and a cold beer, of course) would be a pretty darned awesome summer meal!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
That’s awesome! Thanks David!
Alex
The flavours in this are absolutely delicious, Dawn! I love that this is a good GF and veto option, too!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you Alex!!
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes
I only recently decided that I like cold pasta salad, and it was after eating a Greek one like this!!! It looks SO YUMMMMMM!!!! I need to make this for lunch today!
Girl Heart Food
Yay! Hope you love it, Sarah 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much Marissa! Hope you have a wonderful weekend, my friend 🙂
Adina
There is no grill party without a pasta salad around here. Never ever! This is a great one to make soon.
Girl Heart Food
I agree, Adina 🙂 !! Thanks so much!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
I’m a huge pasta salads fan, and this Greek-inspired version right up my alley. Also, I don’t like those pasta salads loaded with a mayo dressing. So guess what? You’ve created a perfect pasta salad to my liking!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Happy to hear it! Thanks Ben!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
This salad is totally up my alley Dawn! I love all the textures and that creamy oregano dressing sounds amazing. I’m always looking for new pasta salad sides for the summer! This one will surely be making an appearance! Pinned! Thanks for sharing Dawn! Hope you have another great weekend of grilling ahead!
cindy
Yes, the 3-day weekend was great. We are prepping to sell our home, so it has been nothing short of chaotic, but onward and upward as it goes on the market tomorrow. This seems like a great meal in and of itself as we are trying to use the kitchen less these days! Keeping this one close by in my recipe drawer.
Girl Heart Food
I can only imagine!! Exciting, though, I’m sure! Good luck with it! Have a great weekend, Cindy 🙂
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
Sorry I’m a little late to commenting, Dawn! That extended weekend is a killer for productivity!! 😉 You can’t do summer without a pasta salad (or 5,000), so I’m definitely in need of a vat of this Greek flavor bomb! I could seriously make a meal out of this, easy! Cheers, doll!
Girl Heart Food
No worries girl :)! Thanks so much! Hope you have a lovely upcoming weekend!
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
I love pasta too! I don’t make pasta salads very often though….I need to change that quickly! This looks packed full of flavor. I love all the healthy veggies you’ve added too! This looks like a winner!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you Kathy! It’s a great one for summer 🙂
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness
Oh man, I love Greek pasta salad! I made it not too long ago and was reminded that I’m a big fan. I love the sound of your Greek yogurt dressing!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Nicole; the dressing is definitely on the lighter side 🙂
heather (delicious not gorgeous)
carbs are the best! even though i think it’s weird to pair carbs with carbs (i love spaghetti and garlic bread but i still don’t understand the point of serving them together lol). anyways, all that tangy greek yogurt and lemon juice sounds like a good way to make the dressing taste lighter and feel more summer-ready!
Girl Heart Food
Agreed 😉 Can’t go wrong with carbs if you ask me! Thanks Heather!
Ashika | Gardening Foodie
OH WOW Dawn, this Greek Pasta Salad looks amazing and reading through the ingredients, everything is so fresh and seasonal. I love that you used Greek yoghurt in this recipe…so much lower in calories.
Best news is, I love this recipe because I am vegetarian…worst news is, it is Winter here in South Africa but no matter how cold it is, it is not going to stop me from making this tomorrow?!!!! LOVE IT.
Girl Heart Food
Thank you SO much, Ashika!! The Greek yogurt definitely lightens things up 🙂 Hope you love it!
karrie @ Tasty Ever After
I eat stuff all the time that I used to love when I was younger and it never tastes as good as I remember it. Disappointing for sure!
I make a Greek pasta salad that J loves and he keeps telling me to put the recipe up, but I keep forgetting. Next time I make it, I’ll have to try your recipe instead 🙂
Girl Heart Food
So awful, isn’t it? Least we can make it better at home, though! You need to put your recipe up, girl! I’m sure it’s fantastic :)!! Thanks Karrie! XO
Sues
This pasta salad is gorgeous!! I love Greek anything, but think I love it best when it involves pasta, too! I could probably eat an entire batch of this 🙂 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Sues! I could too 😉
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
Pasta salads have always been a favorite of mine, too! There’s just something about cold pasta, filled with veggies and cheese, and the dressing! And I LOVE using Greek yogurt whenever I can, especially in dressings and baking. It makes you feel just a little bit better when you eat ALL the pasta! This sounds wonderful! Such a perfect recipe for summer. Pinned and hope your week is going well!
Girl Heart Food
I know what you mean, Gayle! And I like you’re thinking 😉 Thanks so much for the kind words and Pin. Hope you have a wonderful week.
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
YES! There are a handful of restaurants in my hometown that I used to love but when I’ve tried them in recent years they just don’t live up to the memory. It’s so sad! LoveloveLOVE pasta salad though! But I’m totally on board the carb train too, so I might be a little biased :). This looks like an awesome addition to any BBQ menu! Hope your week is going well Dawn!
Girl Heart Food
Woo hoo for that carb train!! Thanks Kelsie – have an awesome week 🙂
David @ Spiced
Oh man, I totally know what you mean about preparing food at home vs going out, Dawn! We’ve done the same thing as you and gone to old favorite restaurants…and we’re almost always disappointed. But if you open a restaurant and serve this Greek pasta salad, then I promise you I won’t be disappointed! In fact, you’ll have to make extra batches every day just to keep up with me. Haha! This one looks amazing, and it’s perfect for summer grilling!! 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Right?? Haha…you’re too kind, David! Thanks so much, my friend 🙂
Amanda
It is after midnight and when I read this recipe, I jumped out of bed to check my pantry. Yay! I have all the ingredients! I’ll have this tomorrow. (Already pinned.) 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Haha! That’s too funny 🙂 Hope you love it and thanks very much for the Pin, Amanda!
Marvellina | What To Cook Today
This is so colorful and love the idea that the dressing is swim-suit friendly too 🙂
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Marvellina! Just right for summer 😉
Jovita @ Yummy Addiction
I love all kinds of pasta salads and yours look amazing! Love the feta and veggie combination!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks Jovita! Me too 😉
Sara
Oh. My. Yum! This looks perfect for summer!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much Sara!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
I totally know what you mean!! I have all these “old favorites” that I keep getting disappointed by. Maybe as we get older our tastes just change? I love that you’ve used Greek yogurt in the dressing here (keeping it Greek), and how cool is it that you’re using gluten-free noodles? Nice one Dawn! Even if we don’t get a holiday today at least we can enjoy yummy foods like this!! Cheers!
Girl Heart Food
Right? Glad I’m not the only one 🙂 Thanks Katherine – so happy you like this one! Have an awesome week!
Luci's Morsels
Pasta salad is definitely one of my favorite summer go-tos! Love this fun rendition, the greek flavors sound so tasty and refreshing!
Girl Heart Food
Me too Luci 🙂 Thanks so much!
Gaila
Perrrrfect salad for grilling season, heck, for any season, love all the ingredients you put together Dawn!! thanks for sharing! have a great Monday!
Girl Heart Food
Thank you so much, Gaila! Have a wonderful week 🙂