Have you ever brought a dish to a potluck and had no one eat it? Well, it's happened to me. And it's happened more than once. And it's not fun. In fact, it downright sucks... If this has happened to you and you want to avoid it in the future, then you need to make this Healthy Greek Pasta Salad with fresh veggies - it's the best pasta salad and one of the best summer potluck dishes around! And you won't be bringing any home - I promise! A delicious and refreshing potluck salad recipe made with creamy feta cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, and fresh herbs in only 20 minutes, it's the perfect summer pasta salad for potlucks, BBQ's or picnics!
Maybe it's a timing thing, or a table placement issue, but it's still disheartening to look over and see that your dish has barely been touched. This Greek pasta potluck salad is not only healthy, it’s easy to prepare and always a hit at any gathering. So if you're looking for easy summer potluck recipes, you'll love this one!
Jump to:
- 🥘 Ingredient Notes
- 📖Variations & Substitutions
- 🔪Step-by-Step: How to Make Healthy Greek Salad (Potluck Salad)
- Expert Recipe Tips
- 👪 Serving size
- 🔢WW Points
- 🥗 Main Dishes to serve with Greek Pasta Potluck Salad
- 🌡️Storage
- ❔ Recipe FAQs
- 🥗 More Potluck Salad Recipes!
- 📋 Healthy Greek Pasta Salad Recipe (Potluck Salad)
I will go to great lengths to avoid bringing that food home from a potluck. During the potluck, I find myself glancing over at the table, monitoring the progress of my dish. And if I see it's not getting eaten, I sort of go into a bit of panic mode. Out of pure desperation, I have actually asked people if they've tried the dish, then hinted to them how great it is, and directed them to its placement on the table.
It's pathetic, I know, but I just can't stand to put all that work into something and have it just sit there or go to waste, especially when I know how damn good it is!
I was taught that you NEVER take home your leftovers - they are for the host. So, unless your host insists you take it home, which is a sure sign of food failure, taking home your potluck leftovers is not only an admission of failure, it's tacky.
Although my kids constantly beg me to bring leftovers home, I will do just about anything to avoid leaving a potluck with leftovers in tow, including abandonment. You'll be comforted to know that I never had to take leftovers of this salad home - there was never any left!
If you love Greek Pasta, you may also want to try my Healthy Greek Pasta Toss!
🥘 Ingredient Notes
What I love about this cold pasta salad recipe is how healthy and simple the dressing is, and it's loaded with fresh vegetables and herbs! It's also made with real ingredients. All you need for this Greek salad dressing is:
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice. Freshly squeezed lemon juice makes all the difference- it gives this salad an amazing 'fresh citrusy' flavor! Your dressing only has 3 things (garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice), so make it great!
- Olive oil. I recommend using a good quality brand of olive oil!
- Pasta. Fusilli pasta works best in this salad, and I like to use the tri-color to make it more colorful and fun! Be careful to follow package directions and don't overcook the pasta. It usually only needs about 10 minutes.
- Tomatoes. You can use 3 Roma tomatoes or 1 large Beefsteak or large tomato.
- Feta cheese. I use light/low-fat)
- Kalamata olives. Kalamata olives work best because they have a tangy flavor that you can't get from canned black olives. I use the pitted because you don't want people to have to pick them out and pit them. You can use regular sliced black olives, but the Kalamata olives are so much better!
- Fresh herbs ( mint and basil). Like the fresh lemon juice, the fresh herbs are non-negotiable and make this salad stand out because of its fresh flavor!
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Herbs -I do not recommend using dried herbs
- Garlic - you can use minced garlic from a jar, if you don't have fresh garlic
- Pasta - I use rotini pasta, but you could use penne, fusilli pasta, orzo pasta, bowtie pasta, or another type of pasta. You can use whole wheat pasta, smart pasta, or a lighter pasta to bring down the WW points. Sometimes I use a colorful pasta (tri-color rotini) for fun (as in these photos)!
- Gluten-free- use a gluten-free pasta
- Lemon juice- if you don't have fresh lemon juice, use concentrated, but only use HALF the amount. Although I don't recommend this.
- Tomatoes - you can substitute cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
- Add ins - add grilled chicken and make it a complete meal!
🔪Step-by-Step: How to Make Healthy Greek Salad (Potluck Salad)
- Step 1: Cook pasta in water (as per package directions) until tender (al dente), but still firm. Drain. Put in the fridge to cool while preparing the rest of the ingredients. If you are in a hurry, run the pasta under cold water before placing in the fridge to speed up the cooling time.
- Step 2: Whisk oil, lemon juice and garlic together in a separate bowl.
- Step 3: In large bowl, combine cooled, cooked pasta and remaining ingredients, tossing well. Refrigerate until cold (it's best served cold). Serve.
- Step 4: Add the salad dressing and mix well. May be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Expert Recipe Tips
- Use al dente pasta. Slightly undercook the pasta (cook it just to al dente) so it holds up better after refrigeration and doesn’t become mushy once dressed.
- Cool pasta completely before mixing. Warm pasta will absorb too much dressing and make the salad oily or soggy. Speed up cooling by rinsing with cold water and spreading it on a baking sheet to cool evenly.
- Toss pasta with a little olive oil before chilling. To prevent sticking while it chills, toss the drained pasta with a small amount of olive oil (separate from the dressing) before refrigerating.
- Add dressing just before serving (IF making more than 1-2 hrs ahead). If prepping this salad in advance, store the dressing separately and toss it with the pasta and vegetables 1-2 hrs before serving. This preserves the freshness and keeps the salad from drying out.
- Fresh is best — don’t skip the fresh herbs and lemon juice. The fresh mint, basil, and lemon juice are what set this salad apart. Dried herbs or bottled lemon juice will flatten the flavor profile.
- Finely chop the garlic for better distribution. If using fresh garlic, mince it very finely (or use a microplane) to avoid overwhelming bites and to help it mix better into the dressing.
- Marinate the salad (if you have time). Let the salad rest in the fridge for 1–2 hours after assembling to allow the flavors to meld — especially the garlic, lemon, and herbs.
- Garnish last-minute. Add fresh herb garnish and a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving to refresh the look and taste of the salad.
- Use block feta and crumble it yourself. Pre-crumbled feta often includes anti-caking agents and tends to be drier. Crumbling a block of light feta cheese results in a creamier texture and better flavor.
- Balance acidity to taste. If the lemon is too sharp for your palate, stir in ½–1 teaspoon of honey or ¼ teaspoon - ½ teaspoon of agave syrup to mellow the dressing without compromising its brightness.
👪 Serving size
The recipe, as is, serves 10 (1 cup servings). I would double the recipe if serving large groups. However, you can scale it for any size group, including a family dinner. Just click on the serving size on the recipe card, adjust for the number of servings you'd like, and the ingredient quantities will magically adjust!
🔢WW Points
This delicious pasta salad recipe is Weight Watchers friendly @ 5 WW points per 1 cup serving (with regular pasta) and light feta. If you use lighter pasta and fat-free feta cheese, it will bring down the points.
🥗 Main Dishes to serve with Greek Pasta Potluck Salad
If you're looking for a main dish to serve with this Greek Pasta Salad, pork or chicken pairs exceptionally well with this salad. I recommend Slow Cooker Pulled Pork on a Bun, my Grilled Greek Chicken Burgers or BBQ Beer Butt Chicken because they are ideal for a BBQ or potluck! And if you're looking for more delicious sides to go with beer can chicken, then check out these sides for beer can chicken!
If you're just making it for your family at home, try this Marinated Grilled Maple Pork or my Bonanza Copycat Monterey Chicken! Or go all out Mediterranean with these Grilled Greek Ribs or this Chicken Souvlaki Wrap.
🌡️Storage
Store leftovers of this Greek Pasta Salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you are making it in advance, make the pasta ahead of time, cut up the veggies, mix the dressing, then store the vegetables, dressing, and cooked pasta in individual containers and mix them together before serving. These ingredients do not freeze well.
So, if you don't want to leave the potluck, shamefully, with leftovers in tow, then keep it simple and make this Mediterranean Pasta Salad- it's the best Greek pasta salad! It's such a yummy, refreshing, and healthy summer salad and the perfect side dish, you'll be lucky if there's any left!
❔ Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can make it the night before! In fact, letting the flavors meld overnight in the fridge can make it even tastier. Just be sure to give it a good toss before serving, and if it seems a little dry, you can refresh it with a splash of olive oil and lemon juice.
Short, sturdy pastas like rotini, fusilli, bowtie (farfalle), or penne hold up well in pasta salads. They maintain their shape and texture and catch the dressing nicely. Avoid delicate pastas like angel hair or fresh egg pasta for this type of dish.
Toss the pasta with a small drizzle of olive oil after draining, especially if you’re cooling it down in the fridge before adding other ingredients. This will help prevent it from clumping together.
To avoid sogginess, make sure the pasta is completely cooled and drained before mixing it with the vegetables and dressing. Also, if prepping in advance, store the dressing separately and mix it in just before serving.
So, if you are looking for a pasta salad for a potluck, this Greek Pasta Salad is the perfect one!
Happy potlucking!
🥗 More Potluck Salad Recipes!
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Did your family❤️this recipe? Did you know that commenting and⭐rating recipes is one of the best ways to support your favorite recipe creators? If you LOVED this recipe, please comment and rate it in the recipe card or share photos on social media using the hashtag #foodmeanderings or tagging @foodmeanderings !
📋 Healthy Greek Pasta Salad Recipe (Potluck Salad)
Ingredients
- 4 cups tri-color fusilli (500 g bag)
- ⅓ cup medium red onion diced
- 1 large tomato diced
- ½ a seedless English cucumber diced
- 1 red peppers seeded and diced
- ¾ cup light feta cheese
- ⅔ cup black Kalamata olives I also use the pre-sliced ones if I feel extra lazy -they don't look as nice, but they save you the hassle of dealing with pits and/or chopping
- 4.5 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 4.5 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoon each chopped fresh mint and basil
Garnish
- additional fresh basil and mint, as desired
- fresh lemon wedges, if desired
Instructions
- Cook pasta in water (as per package directions) until tender (al dente), but still firm. Drain. Put in the fridge to cool while preparing the rest of the ingredients. If you are in a hurry, run the pasta under cold water before placing in the fridge to speed up the cooling time.
- In large bowl, combine cooled, cooked pasta and remaining ingredients, tossing well. Refrigerate until cold (it's best served cold). Serve.
- May be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Notes
-
- Use al dente pasta. Slightly undercook the pasta (cook it just to al dente) so it holds up better after refrigeration and doesn’t become mushy once dressed.
-
- Cool pasta completely before mixing. Warm pasta will absorb too much dressing and make the salad oily or soggy. Speed up cooling by rinsing with cold water and spreading it on a baking sheet to cool evenly.
-
- Toss pasta with a little olive oil before chilling. To prevent sticking while it chills, toss the drained pasta with a small amount of olive oil (separate from the dressing) before refrigerating.
-
- Add dressing just before serving (IF making more than 1-2 hrs ahead). If prepping this salad in advance, store the dressing separately and toss it with the pasta and vegetables 1-2 hrs before serving. This preserves the freshness and keeps the salad from drying out.
-
- Fresh is best — don’t skip the fresh herbs and lemon juice. The fresh mint, basil, and lemon juice are what set this salad apart. Dried herbs or bottled lemon juice will flatten the flavor profile.
-
- Finely chop the garlic for better distribution. If using fresh garlic, mince it very finely (or use a microplane) to avoid overwhelming bites and to help it mix better into the dressing.
-
- Marinate the salad (if you have time). Let the salad rest in the fridge for 1–2 hours after assembling to allow the flavors to meld — especially the garlic, lemon, and herbs.
-
- Garnish last-minute. Add fresh herb garnish and a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving to refresh the look and taste of the salad.
-
- Use block feta and crumble it yourself. Pre-crumbled feta often includes anti-caking agents and tends to be drier. Crumbling a block of light feta cheese results in a creamier texture and better flavor.
-
- Balance acidity to taste. If the lemon is too sharp for your palate, stir in ½–1 teaspoon of honey or ¼ teaspoon - ½ teaspoon of agave syrup to mellow the dressing without compromising its brightness.
Colleen
This delicious salad would never be ignored at any potluck. It's fresh, pretty, and tasty AF! Great job, Terri.
Kaitie
This looks perfect for a potluck (or just easy lunches for the week). And I agree - it’s ya key to bring home the leftovers UNLESS the hosts insist! 🙂
Terri Gilson
thanks, Kaitie!
Nick @ GreekBoston.com
This is getting me excited for summer. I love a good BBQ and pasta salad is a staple! Of course, you can make it any time of year but it's better in the summer 🙂
Terri Gilson
I so agree, Nick!Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂
Elaine
Terri, I can't imagine this salad being overlooked at a potluck. It would probably be the first to go, as who doesn't love pasta salad? And now that there are so many great choices in gluten-free pastas, this is a recipe that anyone can make. I love this Greek twist on traditional pasta salad!
Terri Gilson
Thanks so much, Elaine! I really need to keep it simple (like this) when it comes to potlucks!
TheFirst365Days.com
Yum!! What great pictures and recipes. Look forward to following along. xoxo http://www.thefirst365days.com
Food Meanderings
Thank you for following! I also look forward to following your blog!
Sheryl
The Greek Salad looks wonderful. I've also gotten some of my favorite recipes from friends and co-workers.
Food Meanderings
Thanks, Sheryl! Yes, potlucks are one of the best sources for awesome recipe finds!
apuginthekitchen
Lovely blog and the salad is gorgeous. Thank you for following my blog also!!
Food Meanderings
Thank you -you as well!
anotherday2paradise
Looks so yummy and easy too.
Food Meanderings
Thanks - yes, it's very easy and tasty!
Sue Slaght
I love Greek Salad ans this looks like a great way to make it into a complete meal. Best of all easy and that is the number one requirement for me. 🙂
Food Meanderings
Thanks, Sue! Yes, it can definitely be a complete meal-especially if you want to keep it vegetarian!
chef mimi
What lovely ingredients!
Food Meanderings
Thank you - yes, nice and summery and healthy!