This Greek Pasta Salad recipe is flavorful and filling, made with the freshest ingredients and a homemade Greek dressing! It’s very quick and easy to make, perfect to serve as a side dish with a hearty main, or as a light dinner on hot summer days.

Greek Pasta Salad is one of my favorite pasta salad dishes, with plenty of fresh veggies, creamy Feta cheese, and an amazing homemade Greek salad dressing!

I LOVE a good easy pasta salad recipe, sometimes you just can’t beat that combination of tender pasta, with crunchy vegetables.

This is the best Greek pasta salad recipe as it’s so easy to make and has a couple of unique additions that we just love. It may not be an authentic Greek salad, but this is my blog and I make the rules. 😉

It comes together in just 20 minutes, so it’s perfect for busy weeknight dinners, or for prepping lunches for the week.

For more great pasta salad recipes, check out my Creamy Ranch Bowtie Pasta Salad Recipe, this Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad, or this BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Zucchini & Corn, or get even more inspiration from my list of 30+ Pasta Salad Recipes!

Ingredients Needed:

Greek Pasta Salad

• Pasta: I like to use Orzo pasta, but any kind of short pasta will work.
• Cucumber: freshly cubed cucumber will give an instantly fresh flavor and great texture to this salad.
• Cheese: get good quality Greek Feta cheese for the best flavor. Opt for PDO labelled Feta (you will see the red and yellow symbol that says Protected Designation of Origin). It is imported from Greece and of the highest quality!
• Olives: kalamata olives add a great salty and savory flavor, classic to Mediterranean cuisine.
• Sun-Dried Tomatoes: they add a rich and tangy flavor to the pasta salad. You can swap for fresh cherry tomatoes if you prefer.
• Fresh herbs: you can use fresh basil or fresh parsley for extra flavor if you wish.
• Pepper: freshly cracked black pepper will add a slight kick to the dish (be sure to add it to your tastes).

Dressing

• Oil: use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for a classic Greek flavor.
• Lemon Juice: fresh lemon juice will work best, so get a fresh lemon and start squeezing!
• Seasoning: use kosher salt, dried oregano, and freshly pressed or minced garlic is all you need for this flavorful dressing.

How to Make Greek Pasta Salad

This recipe couldn’t be easier! Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.

1. Make the dressing: Stir together the oil, lemon juice, salt, oregano, and garlic in a small bowl.
2. Combine ingredients. Mix together the cooked pasta, cucumber, Feta, olives, tomatoes, and chopped fresh basil. Add the dressing and toss well.

Greek Pasta Salad FAQs

Tips and Notes

• Pasta. For the quantities used, this recipe will work best with short cut pasta or small pasta shapes. You can use any kind of pasta for this dish, but if you use a larger size of pasta, the overall texture will be different. Just be sure to cook the pasta al dente for the best results!
• Feta. Whatever you do, choose good (real!) salty Feta cheese. No pre-crumbled Feta cheese here. Buy a good block and crumble or cube some to add in and you won’t regret it.
• Fresh herbs. I love basil in this, but fresh parsley is another great addition. It adds a lovely pop of flavor but isn’t 100% necessary.

Greek Pasta Salad Variations

• Mix up the veggies. You can use your favorite salad veggies here. Some chopped celery, green bell pepper, red onion, or sweetcorn would all add a slightly different flavor and texture to the salad.
• Sun-dried tomatoes. Maybe an unexpected ingredient, but I love the flavor in this dish more than fresh! Feel free to swap with fresh, halved cherry tomatoes if you prefer.
• Olive oil. olive oil adds more flavor than you might think, so use it if you can. If not, you can substitute with another oil, just keep in mind this will be a predominant flavor in the dressing.
• Lemon juice. as much as I feel lemon juice is a must here, you can swap it with red wine vinegar or white vinegar. (Like it tangy? You can even add a bit of both)!
• Dressing. You can swap the homemade dressing recipe for a bottle of store-bought Greek salad dressing in a pinch.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this classic pasta salad as a main dish for a lighter meal, or serve it on the side to make a complete meal of another main course like these Grilled Chicken Thighs, or Slow Cooker Chicken Breast.

In our home, our dinner table is never without a side of bread. Some of our favorites are my Cheesy Garlic Bread, No Knead Artisan Bread, and my Homemade Breadsticks.

More Easy Pasta Recipes to Try

Dinner

Garlic Parmesan Orzo Pasta recipe

Pasta

BEST Hamburger Helper Recipe

Dinner

Easy Lasagna Recipe

Dinner

Pasta Fagioli (Pasta Fazool)

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Greek Pasta Salad

This Greek Pasta Salad recipe is flavorful and filling, made with the freshest ingredients and a homemade Greek dressing! It's very quick and easy to make, perfect to serve as a side dish with a hearty main, or as a light dinner on hot summer days.

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Greek

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 262cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

Greek Pasta Salad

• 340 grams short pasta I like to use orzo about 12 oz
• 1 cup cubed cucumber
• ½ cup Feta cheese crumbled or cubed
• ⅓ cup kalamata olives sliced
• ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes roughly chopped
• fresh basil or parsley optional
• freshly cracked black pepper

Greek Salad Dressing

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic pressed or minced

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Rinse under cold water and set aside.
• Meanwhile, prepare the remaining salad ingredients.
• Add the cooked pasta to a large bowl with the cucumber, Feta, olives, tomatoes, and some roughly chopped fresh basil.
• Stir together dressing ingredients of oil, lemon juice, salt, oregano, and garlic in a small bowl.
• Pour over pasta salad ingredients in a bowl and toss together. Taste and add freshly cracked black pepper or additional lemon or salt according to your tastes.
• Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Notes

Storage: Store this dish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It’s best to store the homemade dressing separately and add it before serving so that the salad doesn’t wilt or soften.

Nutrition

Calories: 262cal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 274mg | Potassium: 238mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 99IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Greek Pasta Salad appeared first on The Recipe Rebel.

This Greek Chicken Marinade is perfectly seasoned with aromatic garlic, warm oregano, and parsley. Packed with so much flavor, this delicious marinade will take your grilled chicken dinners to the next level!

When it’s warm out, grilled chicken is one of our favorite dinners to enjoy (especially if we can eat it outside while the sun is shining!).

This easy Greek chicken marinade recipe is perfect for making a healthy meal for the whole family with minimal fuss.

Made with very simple ingredients, in under an hour, it’s perfect for a busy weeknight dinner! Serve it with some store bought naan, this Greek Pasta Salad or this Instant Pot Jasmine Rice or Greek Pasta Salad with homemade Lemonade.

Because we’re marinating the chicken in yogurt, which is a foolproof method for making it creamy, juicy, and richly flavored, this Greek chicken is juicy and delicious every time.

It’s a great recipe to meal prep for later in the week because you can make extra marinade and store it to use in another meal a few days later (you can even freeze it — more on that later!).

This Greek marinade recipe is versatile, so you can use fresh herbs instead of dried ones, or change them up to suit your preference.

You can also cook your chicken any way you like — on the stove, in the oven, in the slow cooker, but we love it grilled!

For more Greek-inspired meals, check out my Spicy Baked Feta (Mpougiourdi), and this Feta Pasta with Dill. Alternatively, try another of these Grilled Chicken recipes or this Hawaiian Chicken Recipe for more grilled chicken goodness.

Ingredients Needed:

• Oil: since this is my interpretation of a Greek-style marinade, we are definitely using olive oil. Olive oil does add significant flavor, but you can swap this for another oil you have if you need to.
• Yogurt: only plain yogurt will do here, either Greek-style or Natural yogurt, but you can use any fat percentage: from 0% to ultra thick and rich.
• Lemon: use fresh lemon zest and fresh lemon juice for the best flavor. The acidity will help tenderize the meat.
• Seasoning: use classic Greek flavors with fresh garlic, dried oregano, dried parsley, kosher salt, and black pepper.
• Sugar: white granulated sugar will add a bit of sweetness to the marinade, to counteract the acidity.
• Chicken: I tend to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but chicken thighs or chicken with the skin on will work too. You can use chicken with the bone in, but the cook time may vary.

How to Make Greek Chicken Marinade

This recipe is simple to make! Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.

1. Make marinade: Combine marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag or airtight container.
2. Add chicken: Place chicken in the bag or container, seal it, and shake it to coat the chicken.
3. Marinate: Let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator.
4. Cook chicken: Grill or bake the chicken until fully cooked. Let it rest before serving. 

Greek Chicken Marinade FAQs

Tips and Notes

• Type of Oil. It’s best to use an oil that best compliments the type of food you’re making. Olive oil is best for Greek, Italian, and Mediterranean dishes.
• Fresh Herbs: Got fresh herbs? Wonderful! Use 3 times the amount of fresh herbs (finely chopped) than you would dried ones. 
• Double it up: Make a double batch of this marinade, divide it, and store the excess marinade in an airtight container or jar, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days to use on another meat later in the week!

Greek Chicken Marinade Variations

• Add some heat. Add some red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or hot sauce to the marinade, or sprinkle some on top before you cook your chicken to add a spicy kick to the meal.
• Chicken. You can use this marinade with any cut of chicken, or even another meat. It’s one of those great recipes you’ll use again and again for all sorts of foods!

Serving Suggestions

Serve this Greek Chicken Marinade dish with your favorite sides to make a complete meal.

It’s perfect for making Greek chicken gyros and wraps, or try it in one of these Pasta Salad Recipes!

If you’re using an outdoor grill to cook your chicken, you may want to pair it with this Southwest Potato Salad with tomatoes and Corn on the Cob, or another one of my BBQ Sides for Summer!

If you’re cooking it in the oven, or fancy something a bit different, try these Air Fryer Green Beans and Air Fryer Broccoli with this Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes recipe.

More Easy Chicken Recipes to Try

Dinner

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Dinner

15 Chicken Casserole Recipes

Dinner

Marry Me Chicken

Dinner

JUICY Air Fryer Chicken Breast

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Greek Chicken Marinade

This Greek Chicken Marinade dinner is rich, creamy, and perfectly seasoned with aromatic garlic, warm oregano, and parsley. Packed with so much flavor, this delicious marinade will take your grilled chicken dinners to the next level!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Chilling time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 356cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 lemon (zested and juiced)
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 lbs chicken (I usually use breasts, but thighs or bone-in chicken will work just fine)

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a zip-top plastic bag or a container just big enough to hold your chicken and marinade (too big, and the marinade doesn’t surround the chicken).
• Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes (with the pieces of chicken, I don’t like to let it go longer because the acid can break down the meat too much).
• Use your preferred method of cooking the chicken. Grill or bake at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes, until a meat thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
• Let the cooked chicken rest, covered, for 10 minutes before serving.

Video

Notes

*The nutrition information is difficult to estimate on this recipe, as most of the marinade will be discarded.

Stovetop: you can cook this chicken on the stove top in a covered skillet over medium-high heat, flipping once. It will take roughly 5-8 minutes per side depending on the thickness of your chicken.

Slow cooker: you can also cook this chicken in the slow cooker on low for 3 hours-4 hours. 

Storage: Store cooked chicken in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can store the uncooked marinade in the fridge for up to 4 days, to use on other meat, providing it has not already touched any raw chicken.

Freezer: you can freeze cooked chicken in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. You can also freeze uncooked chicken right in the marinade for 3 months as well — it will marinate as it thaws!

 

Nutrition

Calories: 356cal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 146mg | Sodium: 850mg | Potassium: 922mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 98IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Greek Chicken Marinade appeared first on The Recipe Rebel.

This Spicy Baked Feta is based on the classic Greek dish Mpougiourdi — it’s made with feta, cherry tomatoes, green chili peppers, oregano and olive oil. Serve it with crusty bread or crackers for dipping!

This Spicy Baked Feta cheese is our newest obsession!

It is so easy to make, it’s full of flavor but made with just a few simple ingredients. It can be a pre-dinner appetizer or a light meal (don’t forget some crackers and crusty bread!).

I first discovered Mpougiourdi on my trip to Greece a few weeks ago and it was instantly in love. I love recipes that take a few simple but incredible ingredients and create something extraordinary.

I immediately had our host type the recipe name in my phone so I could recreate it

If you saw my Feta Pasta with Dill post, you know that I was hosted in Greece to learn more about Feta cheese and what it means for Feta to qualify for that PDO symbol.

If you’re interested in hearing more about what I learned, check out my pasta post above. 😀

This Baked Feta is creamy, spicy, herby, and sweet. Be careful — it’s addictive!

Ingredients Needed:

• Feta cheese: if you can afford it, opt for PDO labelled Feta (you will see the circular red and yellow symbol that says Protected Designation of Origin). It is imported from Greece and the highest quality!
• Cherry tomatoes: halved so that they cook down faster and release those sweet juices. You can use a little more or a little less according to your tastes.
• Olive oil: choose extra virgin olive oil if you have it
• Green chilis: I wanted to use fresh green chilis because it looked like that’s what was used when we had it in Greece. If you can’t find chilis or you want a little less spice, opt for a jalapeno or pickled spicy green peppers.
• Dried oregano: adds an herby, earthy flavor.
• Salt and pepper: use sparingly, since the rest of the ingredients are packed full of flavor and some Feta can be quite salty.

How to make Spicy Baked Feta:

• Cut the feta into cubes (this isn’t necessary, but it warm through more quickly and I love how it incorporates with the tomatoes), and add to a small baking dish with the tomatoes, chilis, oil, and oregano. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and fresh cracked pepper.
• Cover and bake until tomatoes are softened and cheese is soft and melty.

FAQs and tips:

More cheesy dips you’ll love:

Appetizers

Cheesy Chicken Alfredo Dip

Appetizers

Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

Appetizers

Taco Dip

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Spicy Baked Feta (Mpougiourdi)

This Spicy Baked Feta is based on the classic Greek dish Mpougiourdi — it's made with feta, cherry tomatoes, green chili peppers, oregano and olive oil. Serve it with crusty bread or crackers for dipping!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Greek

Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2 -4

Calories 333cal

Author Ashley Fehr

Ingredients

• 150 grams block Feta cheese (about 5-6 oz)
• 2 green chili peppers
• ¾ cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Cut feta into cubes and place in a small baking dish.
• Chop one of the chilis into fine pieces (you can remove the seeds for less heat if you prefer). Save one for garnishing the top.
• Add tomatoes, chopped chilis, olive oil, and oregano to the baking dish. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper (how much seasoning is needed will depend on how salty your feta is).
• Cover and bake for 20 minutes, until feta and tomatoes have softened. You can leave it as is or mash it lightly together.
• Serve with toasted baguette, breadsticks or crackers.

Nutrition

Calories: 333cal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 865mg | Potassium: 173mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 595IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 380mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Spicy Baked Feta (Mpougiourdi) appeared first on The Recipe Rebel.