Mediterranean Pasta Salad

August 31, 2022

This Mediterranean pasta salad recipe is bursting with fresh flavor! Mix up a batch as an easy side dish or quick lunch.

Here’s a colorful, fresh recipe that’s ideal for summer or anytime: Mediterranean pasta salad recipe! This instantly became a favorite summer side dish with its zingy, bright flavors. Imagine: cool cucumber, juicy tomatoes and peppery arugula, mixed with chewy pasta and salty pops of feta cheese. Hearty sundried tomato gives it an even more irresistible quality to each bite. We served it at a cookout where it got rave reviews, and leftovers are equally as tasty as a lunch idea! This one quickly jumped to the top of our favorite pasta salad recipes.

Ingredients in Mediterranean pasta salad

The concept of pasta salad is an American invention. The first macaroni salad recipe was published in 1914, and it’s spawned loads of variations since then! Mediterranean pasta salad is a thoroughly American concept starring flavors inspired by the region: tomatoes, cucumber, and feta cheese. Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this Mediterranean pasta salad recipe:

Fusilli (spirals) or other short-cut pasta
Cucumber
Cherry tomatoes
Sundried tomatoes
Artichoke hearts
Red onion
Baby arugula
Feta cheese
Mediterranean dressing: lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, Italian seasoning, olive oil

The basic idea is simple: boil the pasta, chop the veggies, then toss with a simple Mediterranean-style dressing. It takes about 30 minutes to whip up, and it’s well worth the time.

Use any type of short cut pasta

This Mediterranean pasta salad works with any type of short-cut pasta noodle. We like it best with spirals, but it’s just as good with bowties or penne. Whatever the case, make sure to cook the pasta to al dente (see below). Here are a few other pasta shape ideas for mixing it up with this pasta salad:

Spirals (fusilli)
Bowties (farfalle)
Penne
Shells (conchiglie)
Orecchiette
Gemelli
Gigli

Tips for cooking pasta to al dente

Al dente means “to the bite” in Italian: pasta that’s tender with a firm center. It’s extremely important to cook the pasta to al dente for a pasta salad: overcooked pasta turns out rubbery, soft and unappetizing. (Interestingly, it also has less nutrients and makes you less full.) Here are some tips on how to cook pasta to al dente:

Set your timer a few minutes before the package instructions indicate. The timing on many pasta packages indicates to cook the pasta too long. Start taste testing the pasta a few minutes before the package says to.
Taste test and look for small white fleck at the core. Catch it right when there’s a small white fleck at the core, or just when it disappears: then immediately drain the pasta. For pasta salad, we like to rinse the pasta in cool water until it cools down enough to make into the salad.

Make ahead and storage for Mediterranean pasta salad

This Mediterranean pasta salad recipe tastes best the day it is made, as as flavor-packed side dish. But you can also make it in advance and refrigerate until serving, or keep it refrigerated as a lunch idea to munch on throughout the week. Here are a few tips for storage:

Mediterranean pasta salad lasts for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. It’s ideal for making ahead or healthy lunches throughout the week.
Refresh the flavors before serving. Bring the salad to room temperature. Then stir in a drizzle of olive oil and a bit more crumbled feta cheese. You may or may not need an extra pinch of salt.

More pasta salad recipes

Love pasta salads? Us too. Try these fun pasta salad ideas:

Try this Classic Pasta Salad
Go for Pesto Pasta Salad or Easy Tortellini Salad
Pair tomatoes and basil for Caprese Pasta Salad
Opt for zingy Greek Pasta Salad
Try Shrimp Pasta Salad

This Mediterranean pasta salad recipe is…

Vegetarian. For vegan or plant-based, omit the feta cheese and add a bit more salt.