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A Mediterranean Pasta Salad made with fresh, vibrant ingredients and tossed in a zesty Lemon Herb dressing!
Bursting with flavor and perfect for any occasion, this easy dish is always a crowd favorite. After so many requests to turn my Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad into a vegetarian version, here it is – simple, satisfying, and just as delicious!
What Makes This Salad Work
This Mediterranean Pasta Salad brings together bold flavors, fresh ingredients, and an easy prep that makes it perfect for weeknights, potlucks, or meal prep. Every bite is filled with crisp vegetables, tender pasta, and a bright, herby punch from the Mediterranean pasta salad dressing.
It’s a no-fuss Mediterranean pasta salad recipe that’s vegetarian, customizable, and guaranteed to impress—whether served cold from the fridge or at room temperature.
What Goes Into This Recipe
This Mediterranean Pasta Salad is tossed with a bold, zesty dressing and packed with fresh, flavorful ingredients. It’s a quick and easy dish that delivers every time, perfect for sharing or meal prepping.
Here are a few stars of this easy Mediterranean pasta salad:
- Penne pasta: Holds the dressing well and gives the salad a hearty base.
- Lemon herb dressing: Made with olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, and herbs, this zesty Mediterranean pasta salad dressing ties everything together.
- Feta: Salty, creamy, and packed with classic Mediterranean flair.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: A rich contrast that adds depth and texture to every bite.
Note: Please see recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients with measurements.
How To Make Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- Boil Pasta: Cook the penne in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water, then transfer.
- Make Dressing: While the pasta is cooking, whisk together all dressing ingredients in a jug until well combined.
- Assemble Salad: Add the lettuce, cucumber, avocado, red pepper, tomatoes, onion, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta to the bowl with pasta.
- Toss and Serve: Drizzle the salad with the dressing and toss until everything is well coated. Season with extra salt and pepper to taste, then serve immediately.
Mediterranean Pasta Salad pairs beautifully with light, flavorful proteins. Caprese Chicken offer a sweet and tangy contrast to the salad’s zesty lemon herb dressing, while Garlic Butter Shrimp brings a rich, garlicky punch. For something a little heartier, try Lemon Parmesan Salmon or my Shrimp Cakes.
Whether you’re planning a simple lunch or a summer dinner spread, these pairings help create a well-rounded Mediterranean-inspired plate.
Recipe FAQ’s
Cook the pasta until al dente, then rinse it under cold water to stop the cooking. This keeps the pasta firm and helps the salad stay fresh and light.
Short pasta like penne, rotini, or fusilli works well because it holds onto the dressing and mix-ins. Avoid long noodles for this recipe.
Definitely! You can change up the veggies, use a different cheese, or even add chickpeas or artichoke hearts.
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Lemon Herb Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Pasta
- 12 ounces penne pasta dried
Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch cracked pepper to taste
Salad
- 4 cups Romaine lettuce or cos lettuce leaves, washed and dried
- 1 cucumber large, diced
- 1 avocado peeled, pitted and chopped
- 1/2 red pepper large, deseeded and cut into thin strips
- 9 ounces grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives sliced
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil drained
- 5-6 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain in a colander or strainer, then rinse under cold water to take the heat out. Transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl.
- While pasta is boiling, prepare your dressing. Whisk together all of the marinade/dressing ingredients in a large jug.
- Add all of the salad ingredients into the salad bowl along with the pasta, and drizzle with the dressing. Toss all of the ingredients together until everything is coated evenly in dressing. Season with extra salt and pepper, if desired.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This salad is fantastic! Flavours and textures work very well together. It’s a very refreshing pasta salad. Highly recommended!
Keeper! I served mine as a side to Salmon and it turned out to be the perfect combo.
I absolutely love this recipe and have made it several times. However, please be aware that the calorie count is not correct – not even close. I just imported the ingredients into MyFitnessPal and came up with 583 calories for 10 servings. Still it is healthy and delicious – I just want serious calorie counters to beware.
Agreed! The carb count for a pasta salad being 3g is a dead give-away that there might have been a glitch in the nutrition calculation! I suspect it was calculated without the pasta (dressing and salad ingredients only).
What a refreshing salad, esp on an 85F day!
How much is a serving? Thank you
I just made this for dinner and all I can say is awesome, absolutely awesome! It’s definitely a keeper in my recipe file. Thanks.
Made this yesterday! Served it cold. Then, today it was chilly & rainy, so I filled a soup bowl, added more cheese & heated it in the microwave & it was equally as divine hot, as cold.
Made this and it was absolutely delicious!! So great to prepare just one meal that both vegetarian hubby and myself could enjoy together. Thank you!
I’m loving all these lovely pasta salads that everyone is making for summer! This looks so good. The dressing sounds perfect.
This looks delicious and I’m constantly on the look out for veggie options for hubby. Thanks, this is going on the menu for this week!
PERFECT! Love all these fresh flavors! 🙂
– MAK
Would this be good if I were to make it the night before to bring to work the next day as my lunch? I’m just wondering about the avocado…if it would go bad by the time I go to eat it.
Hi Liz. You can prepare it the day before without the avocado 🙂