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Who is ready for a refreshing Greek pasta salad on a hot summer day?!?!
You all love my Italian pasta salad with salami that I shared last summer, so I couldn’t resist making another pasta salad. And, I have to say, I might have a new favorite!!!
This Greek pasta salad is vibrant, healthy, and is packed with Greek inspired veggies: red onion that gets pickled in the vinaigrette, kalamata olives, cucumbers, bell pepper, artichoke hearts, and grape tomatoes. Plus, you’ve got the pillow-y pasta, and the succulent shrimp, all tossed in a tangy Greek vinaigrette!!! Oh, and we can’t forget the all-important, salty, tangy, feta cheese! We all know it’s not truly a Greek salad without some feta cheese, right?!?!
Greek pasta salad with shrimp is perfect for an easy, cooling, summertime meal. It’s also great for feeding a crowd, or for taking to a pot luck. If you want it to be a side dish for a pot luck, you can easily leave out the shrimp.
This recipe only takes 30 minutes to make, and only requires you to boil two pots of water for the cooking (one, if you’re omitting the shrimp). Effortless summertime recipe, CHECK! ✔
Plus, Greek pasta salad is easy to make gluten free. Simply use a gluten free pasta. Our favorite is Banza. It’s made from chickpea flour, so it’s lower in carbs, and higher in protein. Don’t worry, it tastes just as good as the regular stuff.
Fresh, light, Greek pasta salad is what summertime dreams are made of!
Ingredients for Greek Pasta Salad with shrimp
As always, a full list of ingredients along with their measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Be sure to check it out!
Pasta + Shrimp
- short cut pasta – you can use any kind of pasta you like.
- shrimp, shelled and deveined – it’s worth spending a little extra money for the peeled, and deveined shrimp to save you time, IMO. You can use either frozen, or fresh.
- kosher salt – to season both the pasta water, and the shrimp water.
Greek Dressing
- red wine vinegar – bright, light flavorful, and my go-to for a Greek vinaigrette.
- extra virgin olive oil – A nice fruity, good quality olive oil is best here. Do it like the Greeks do!
- Greek seasoning – You can easily use a store-bought Greek seasoning here, but I love to make my own and keep it on hand for many uses. (see notes in the recipe card below).
- Kosher salt – to season the entire pasta salad. Be sure to cut the amount in half if using table salt.
- garlic – what’s a Greek dressing without garlic?
- Dijon mustard – for a little depth of flavor
- Honey or granulated sugar – just a touch to balance out the tartness of the vinegar.
Remaining salad ingredients
- red onion – the onion sits in the vinaigrette and pickles, while we make the rest of the salad. I LOVE a good pickled onion. It mellows out the onion flavor a bit.
- kalamata olives – I can’t do a Greek inspired salad without them. Salty, rich, olive-y – obsessed!
- mini cucumbers – for a refreshing crunch. You can also use regular cucumbers and just cut them a bit smaller.
- red bell pepper – for a nice sweet crunch.
- canned artichoke hearts – anywhere I can sneak in some artichoke hearts I will. So GOOD!
- grape tomatoes – the prefect sweet tomato bite to go with our Greek veggies.
- feta cheese – Can’t have Greek food without it!!! AMIRIGHT?!
- fresh dill (Optional) – the fresh dill isn’t essential, but if you have it, it adds so much great flavor to the salad!
Optional garnishes
- extra crumbled feta cheese – because why not?!
- extra dill – to make it pretty!
What type of pasta should I use for This Greek Pasta salad?
Any kind of short cut pasta you like.
Can I make this Greek pasta salad gluten free?
Yes.
Simply use a short cut gluten free pasta! We personally love Banza!
Can I serve this Greek pasta salad as a meal?
Yes!!!
Having the shrimp in there gives you a lean protein making it a balanced meal. You’ve also got a good amount of veggies, which is always great!
Can I serve this Greek pasta salad as a side?
Absolutely.
If you want this pasta salad to be more of a side dish, you can easily omit the shrimp. This would be perfect for bringing to a pot luck!
Can I swap the shrimp for a different protein?
Yes.
I would try cooked, cooled chicken, or some cooked, cooled salmon. Even some good quality canned salmon would work.
Is this Greek pasta salad good leftover?
YES!
I love this pasta salad when it’s leftover. The vinaigrette has time to almost marinate/pickle all of the veggies and really soak into the pasta. So good!
However, I do recommend leaving the tomatoes out and adding them just before serving each time. They do tend to get a little mushy when sitting in the vinaigrette for more than 2 days.
Equipment I used to make this recipe
- Medium sauce pot – this 3.5 quart saucepan is perfect pot for cooking pasta. I love how this pot has measurements on the side of the pan so you know how much water you’re adding.
- 2 QT sauce pot – this one is perfect for boiling the shrimp in
- Colander – essential for draining, and rinsing the pasta
- Chef’s knife – my favorite knife for chopping all those veggies!
- Mixing bowl (s) – you will need a large mixing bowl for the entire salad, plus a medium bowl for the ice bath for the shrimp.
- Whisk – a whisk to whisk up all that yummy Italian dressing.
- Wooden salad tongs – for tossing the salad together gently, and for serving
Reasons you will make this Greek pasta salad again and again!
- It’s vibrant, refreshing, and perfect for summer.
- It’s healthy: packed with veggies, carbs, and lean protein.
- It’s easy to make: 30 minutes!
- It can easily be made gluten free!
- It feeds a crowd.
- It’s perfect for pot lucks,
- Or for meal prep.
- It’s bursting with flavor!
More pasta salad recipes for you to love
More summer salads for you try
- Greek chickpea salad with shrimp
- Mexican street corn salad
- Kale Thai salad with peanut dressing
- Classic creamy coleslaw
- chicken Caesar salad
- Marinated 3 bean salad
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment below, along with a star rating⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. This helps more people to see my recipes in google, which helps my business to thrive. Plus, I love hearing from you. Thanks!
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Greek Pasta Salad with Shrimp
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 10 1x
- Category: entree, dinner, salad, side, fish/seafood
- Method: chop, boil
- Cuisine: gluten free, healthy
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
We love this Greek pasta salad with shrimp during the summer. It’s light, refreshing, packed with veggies, pasta, and succulent shrimp. It’s all tossed in a tangy Greek vinaigrette! Perfect for feeding a crowd, or for meal prep!!!
Ingredients
Pasta + Shrimp
- 8 to 10 ounces short cut pasta
- 1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined (can be frozen, shelled shrimp)
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided (for seasoning the water)
Greek Dressing
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Greek seasoning (see notes for options)
- 2 to 3 teaspoons kosher salt (if using table salt, reduce the amount to 1 to 2 teaspoons. Taste as you go)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons honey, or granulated sugar
Remaining ingredients
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced in half
- 2 to 3 mini cucumbers, sliced (or full sized cucumbers cubed)
- 1 red bell pepper (yellow, or orange work great too)
- 15 ounce can of artichoke hearts, drained, and roughly chopped
- 8 ounces of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- optional: 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh dill, roughly chopped
Optional Garnishes
- extra crumbled feta cheese
- extra dill
Instructions
- Boil the water – Bring two pots of water to a boil, one large (for the pasta), and one medium sized (for the shrimp). Have your shrimp ready to go. You can either use frozen shrimp, or fresh shrimp/frozen shrimp that’s been defrosted – just make sure they’re shelled, and de-veined.
- Make the Greek Dressing – While the water is coming to a boil, make the dressing. Add all of the dressing ingredients: red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, Greek seasoning (see notes), kosher salt, garlic, Dijon mustard, honey, or granulated sugar, to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined. Taste, and adjust the seasoning.
- Pickle the onions – Slice the onion up first and place them directly into the dressing, making sure they are coated in the dressing. Allow them to sit in the dressing while you finish preparing the rest of the ingredients. The onions will get pickled, which I like. If you prefer your onions to be on the more raw onion-y, side, then just add the onions into the salad along with the remaining ingredients.
- Prepare the ice bath for the shrimp: Once the water has almost come to a boil, add 2 cups of ice to a medium sized mixing bowl, then, fill up the bowl with cold water. This will stop the cooking of the shrimp, and allow it to cool.
- Cook the shrimp: Meanwhile, once the water for the shrimp has reached a boil, add the 1 tablespoon of kosher salt to the pot of water. Then, add the shrimp, giving it a stir. If your shrimp is frozen, cook it for 3 minutes, or until it curls up in on itself, and turns pink. If it’s not frozen, cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the shrimp curls up and turns pink – this happens fast with fresh shrimp, so don’t walk away. Once the shrimp has cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the ice bath.
- Cook the pasta: Once the pasta water has come to a boil, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of kosher salt to the boiling water. Add the pasta and follow the package directions for cooking the pasta. You want to cook the pasta to al dente, so cook it 1 or 2 minutes below the recommended cooking time. Once the pasta is done cooking, drain the paste trough a colander, and rinse the pasta in cold water until the pasta has cooled off, and is cold.
- Prepare the remaining ingredients – Slice up the rest of the salad ingredients: kalamata olives, cucumbers, red bell pepper, artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, feta cheese, and dill. Transfer all of these ingredients to the mixing bowl. NOTE: the tomatoes do get kind of mushy when the salad is leftover. If not eating the salad within a day or two, I like to reserve the tomatoes and add them to the salad just before serving so they are nice and fresh.
- Add the remaining ingredients – To the mixing bowl add the cooked, cooled pasta, the cooked, and drained shrimp. Gently toss everything together until it is well combined.
- To serve: You can serve the pasta salad immediately, or chill it for up to 2 hours – it is best when served cold. Transfer the pasta salad to a serving bowl, or portion out into smaller bowls, and garnish with extra feta cheese, and dill, if desired.
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days if you added the tomatoes right away. The salad does keep well as leftovers, but only for 1 to 2 days before the tomatoes get kind of mushy. If you want the salad to last longer, then omit the tomatoes initially and add them in just before serving. Without the tomatoes the salad will last for up to 4 days.
Notes
Shrimp substitutes – You could also swap it for some cooked, cooled chicken, and maybe some cooked, or canned salmon.
Greek seasoning – You can use store bought Greek seasoning – make sure it’s unsalted. I love to make my own Greek seasoning, I always have it on hand. I use this Greek seasoning recipe, from Inspired Eats.
Feta cheese – I recommend getting a block of feta cheese and crumbling it yourself, when possible. It has so much more flavor than the pre-crumbled stuff.
Gluten free – To make the salad gluten free be sure to use gluten free pasta.
Dairy free option – omit the feta cheese. Try adding some capers to replace that tangy, salty bite.
Side option – if you want to serve this as a side salad instead of an entrée salad, simply omit the shrimp.
Emily, I love your recipes but please would you include a “print” so I can use and save the recipes easily
Hi Ann, I am so glad to hear that you enjoy my recipes.
I do have a feature where you can print out the recipe card (not the entire post though).
If you scroll to the bottom of the page, where the final written recipe card is, there is a green button underneath the title, and cook time info that is labeled “print recipe”. Click that button, and a new tab will open up. There is a button on the upper left that says “print”. You can either click that print button to print the page as is, or you can click the “options” button on the right to customize how the printed version will look. For example: you can select a larger font, and choose to omit the nutrition facts, description, notes, or images.
I hope this helps. Please let me know how it goes, or if you have any more questions. 🙂
Thanks again for enjoying my recipes!! 🙂