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Greek Pasta Salad is the creamy, briny bowl that vanishes first at every potluck, loaded with juicy chicken, salty feta, kalamata olives, and crunchy cucumbers in a lemon garlic Greek yogurt dressing, and Lizzie picks the olives out like treasure every sunny Sunday I make it. If creamy salads are your love language, our creamy macaroni salad with peas belongs on the same table.
Fifteen minutes, one big bowl, and zero time at the stove gets this creamy Greek beauty ready for the fridge or the table.
Greek Pasta Salad Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 0 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 15 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 8 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 351kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Creamy, tangy, and briny (feta and kalamata olives in a lemon garlic Greek yogurt dressing)
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our broccoli pasta salad
Quick Answer
Whisk mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, whole grain mustard, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Toss in cooked, cooled cellentani pasta until coated, then add diced cooked chicken, halved grape tomatoes, feta crumbles, sliced cucumbers, kalamata olives, and thin-sliced red onion. Stir to combine and serve right away or chill until serving.
Jump to:
- Greek Pasta Salad Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Greek Pasta Salad
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Greek Pasta Salad FAQs
- Other Recommended Potluck Salad Recipes
- Easy Creamy Greek Pasta Salad Recipe
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Greek yogurt does double duty. Half the creamy base is plain Greek yogurt, which brings real tang that plays off the feta and olives, where an all-mayo dressing would just taste heavy.
- Cellentani holds the dressing. Those corkscrew tubes have ridges and curls that trap the creamy dressing, so every bite is coated instead of slick.
- Fresh lemon juice brightens everything. Bottled juice tastes flat. Two tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon lift the yogurt, the feta, and the vegetables all at once.
- Worcestershire is the quiet umami. Just a teaspoon adds savory depth to the dressing that nobody can name but everybody notices.
- Cooling the pasta protects the dressing. Warm noodles drink up a creamy dressing and turn it greasy. Cooled pasta keeps the dressing thick, glossy, and clinging to every curl.
- Salty mix-ins season the whole bowl. Feta and kalamata olives release a little brine into the salad as it sits, so the flavor actually improves in the fridge.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No oven, no stress. Boil one pot of pasta and the rest is just whisking and stirring, which makes this the easiest dinner-and-side combo of the summer.
- A full meal in one bowl. With two cups of chicken in there, this eats like dinner, not a side, though it happily plays sidekick to grilled BBQ chicken legs too.
- Make it ahead. The flavors get better as it chills, so it is built for prepping the night before the cookout, just like our classic potato salad.
Key Ingredients
Everything here pulls double duty for flavor or crunch. Quantities are in the recipe card below; here is why each one earns its spot.
- Cellentani pasta. The corkscrew shape grabs creamy dressing better than almost any noodle. Rotini or cavatappi swap in perfectly.
- Cooked chicken. Two cups of diced chicken turn this from side dish to dinner. Rotisserie chicken makes it effortless.
- Feta and kalamata olives. The Greek soul of the bowl. Salty, briny, and creamy all at once, they season every bite as the salad chills.
- Persian cucumbers. Thin skinned and extra crunchy with fewer seeds, so the salad stays crisp instead of watery.
- Mayonnaise and Greek yogurt. The fifty-fifty creamy base. Mayo brings richness, yogurt brings tang, and lemon, garlic, and oregano turn them into a Greek dressing.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This bowl takes swaps beautifully, so make it match your fridge.
- Skip the chicken. Leave it out for a classic side-dish pasta salad, or swap in chickpeas to keep the protein meat free.
- Go vinaigrette. Trade the creamy base for olive oil, red wine vinegar, and extra oregano for a lighter, more traditional take, closer to our Italian pasta salad recipe.
- Add more vegetables. Diced bell pepper, artichoke hearts, or pepperoncini all fit the Greek theme and add even more crunch and zip.
- Change the cheese. A block of feta cubed instead of crumbles gives creamier pockets, or try fresh mozzarella pearls for a milder bowl.
- Make it spicy. A pinch of crushed red pepper in the dressing or sliced banana peppers stirred in wakes the whole salad up.
How to Make Greek Pasta Salad
- Add the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, minced garlic, water, whole grain mustard, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, salt, and pepper to a large bowl.
- Whisk the dressing until it is completely smooth and creamy, then set it aside.
- Add the cooked, drained, and cooled cellentani pasta to the bowl with the dressing.
- Toss the noodles until every curl and ridge is coated in the creamy dressing.
- Add the diced chicken, halved grape tomatoes, feta crumbles, sliced cucumbers, kalamata olives, and thin-sliced red onion.
- Stir everything together until evenly combined. Serve immediately or cover and chill until serving time.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Cool the pasta completely. Rinse it under cold water after draining. Warm pasta soaks up the dressing and leaves the salad dry and oily.
- Salt the pasta water. It is your only chance to season the noodles themselves, and a bland noodle dulls the whole bowl.
- Slice the red onion paper thin. You want its zip in every bite without any harsh crunch taking over. A sharp knife or mandoline does it.
- Use fresh lemon juice. Two tablespoons of fresh squeezed makes the dressing taste bright; bottled juice reads flat and slightly bitter.
- Chill at least 30 minutes if you can. The salad is good immediately, but a short rest lets the feta and olive brine season the dressing.
- Refresh leftovers with a spoonful of yogurt. The pasta keeps drinking dressing overnight, and a little extra yogurt or mayo brings day-two salad right back to creamy.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This salad is the workhorse of a cookout spread. Set it next to classic potato salad and a ranch BLT pasta salad and let everyone fight over which creamy bowl wins.
Off the grill, it loves smoky mains. Pile it beside cheeseburger sliders or juicy grilled rib eye steaks and dinner is handled with one pot and one bowl.
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, and the flavor on day two is even deeper. Scoop it over a bed of greens for an instant lunch, or serve it with a cold glass of our large batch mojitos when the patio crowd shows up.
Greek Pasta Salad FAQs
This creamy Greek Pasta Salad combines cellentani pasta, diced cooked chicken, grape tomatoes, feta crumbles, Persian cucumbers, kalamata olives, and red onion. The dressing is a whisked blend of mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, fresh lemon juice, garlic, whole grain mustard, sugar, Worcestershire, and oregano.
Yes, it is even better made ahead. Mix it up to a day in advance and keep it covered in the fridge; the feta and olive brine season the dressing as it sits. Give it a stir before serving and refresh with a spoonful of Greek yogurt if it looks dry.
Short, ridged shapes with curves hold the creamy dressing best. Cellentani is our pick, but cavatappi, rotini, fusilli, or bow ties all work. Cook to al dente, then rinse and cool completely so the noodles do not soak up the dressing.
Stored in an airtight container, it keeps for about 3 days. Because the dressing is mayo and yogurt based, do not leave the bowl sitting out longer than an hour at parties; nest it over a bowl of ice for outdoor spreads.
Cold or at cool room temperature. You can serve it right after mixing, but a 30 minute chill thickens the dressing and melds the lemon, garlic, and oregano with the briny feta and olives. It is not a salad to heat up.
Absolutely. Swap the mayo and yogurt base for half a cup of olive oil whisked with three tablespoons of red wine vinegar, the same garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. The vinaigrette version is lighter and closer to a traditional Greek salad flavor.
Building the whole picnic menu? Our marinated cold green bean salad brings the bright, tangy bite that balances all the creamy bowls.
Serve a cool pasta salad next to our buttery lobster rolls for the perfect cookout plate.
If pasta salad is your potluck go to, try our crunchy Asian ramen noodle salad next.
If you love this Greek pasta salad, try a bowl of orzo pasta salad next.
If you love a creamy pasta salad, our tuna pasta salad is a protein packed twist.
Easy Creamy Greek Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Cellentani Pasta cooked, drained and cooled
- 2 cups cooked chicken diced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes sliced in half
- 4 ounces feta cheese crumbles
- 2 small Persian cucumbers cut in half lengthwise and sliced
- 1 cup kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup red onion sliced very thin
Dressing
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Mix together all of the dressing ingredients until combined in a large bowl, set aside.1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Add the cooked noodles and toss them in the dressing.8 ounces Cellentani Pasta
- Add the chicken, tomatoes, feta, cucumbers, olives, and onion. Stir to combine, serve immediately, or chill until serving.2 cups cooked chicken, 1 pint grape tomatoes, 4 ounces feta cheese crumbles, 2 small Persian cucumbers, 1 cup kalamata olives, 1/4 cup red onion
Notes
- You can use any pasta that you like, the corkscrew shape is just our favorite.
- You can omit or add any vegetables for this recipe, but highly recommend the ones using as it really brings out the Greek flavor.
- To make it quicker you can use rotisserie chicken and dice it up or buy a bag or already grilled chicken slices.
- This great recipe is best served cold.
- This will last about 3-4 days properly sealed in the refrigerator.
- If you are not a fan of mayo you can swap miracle whip but it will give a slightly different flavor.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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I love a good pasta salad, year round. In the winter, for lunch and in the summer all day. I am loving the combo of mayo and yogurt for your dressing. Adding thegrilled chicken in makes this a completely delish meal./
Our weather is heating up and I can’t wait for summer! This salad recipe will be perfect to bring to a picnic!
Oh this really does look so light, delicious, and perfect for these HOT southern summer days!