Name: Vegan Greek Pasta Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup red wine vinegar; 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 2 garlic cloves (minced); 1 teaspoon dried oregano; ½ teaspoon sea salt; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 12-ounce package whole wheat or gluten-free pasta, (cooked); 14-ounce can chickpeas (drained and rinsed); 14-ounce can artichoke hearts (drained and quartered); 1 medium cucumber (chopped); 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes (sliced in half); 1 cup kalamata olives; ½ red onion (thinly sliced (about ½ a cup)); 1 cup Tofu Feta (or store-bought non-dairy feta); ½ cup Tahini Dressing (or store-bought tahini-based dressing)

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Greek Pasta Salad makes a great meal on it’s own, but it’s also a perfect side dish for summer picnics and cookouts! Full of vegetables, chickpeas, olives and vegan feta, and topped with a creamy tahini dressing, this Mediterranean style dish is great for both lunch and dinner! This easy recipe is vegan with a gluten-free option.

Greek Pasta Salad

Pasta salad seems to be a requirement of summertime gatherings. I’m not complaining, because I can’t get enough of the stuff. I mean, a hot pasta meal is delicious, but there’s something about a chilled mix of noodles and vegetables that draws me in. Most think of pasta salad as a side dish, but I could easily make a meal of it.

This Greek-style salad is full of the foods I love from the Mediterranean diet, such as cucumbers, olives, (vegan) feta, and artichoke hearts. Most Greek pasta salads are made with a red wine vinaigrette, which I find quite tasty, however, I just can’t stop myself from drizzling this kind of meal with a tahini dressing. Actually, I’ll look for just about any excuse to drench my food in tahini.

How to Make Greek Pasta Salad

This recipe couldn’t be easier to make!

You need to cook your pasta according to the package directions, until al dente. If you’re using wheat pasta it doesn’t need to be rinsed after cooking, but you should use rinse gluten-free pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, you can chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and artichoke hearts.
Then you mix together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.
After the pasta has cooled you mix everything together, except the tahini.
Once your pasta salad is mixed, you drizzle it with the tahini dressing.

Serve your salad cold from the fridge or at room temperature.

How to Customize your Pasta Salad

You can easily customize this recipe to make it your own!

If you don’t like chickpeas, you can use white beans.
Any type of olive can be used, or they can be skipped if you don’t like olives.
Capers would make a great addition!
Peppers would be delicious in this salad. Try chopped bell pepper, sliced pepperoncinis, or pepadews.
If you follow a gluten-free diet, make sure your pasta is gluten-free. I used Jovial brown rice bowties in my photos.

Tofu Feta

I like to use my homemade tofu feta in this recipe. You can also use store-bought to save time. Violife makes a good nondairy version. I’ve heard rumors of other brands coming out with their own version of vegan feta soon.

Tahini Dressing

Lemon Tahini Dressing is my go-to salad dressing, and it adds a creamy texture to this pasta salad. If you’re pressed for time or just don’t feel like making it, you can use a store-bought tahini based dressing. Annie’s Homegrown Goddess Dressing is good on this salad, too.

Serving Your Pasta Salad

This recipes makes a lot of pasta salad, so it’s great for potlucks and parties. It’ll serve 6 people as a main dish and about 12 as a side. If you’re not in the mood for that much pasta, you can cut the recipe in half.

I like to make this dish on hot days and serve it as a main dish for dinner over a bed of chopped romaine lettuce. It’s a great side dish to serve alongside a grilled portobello sandwich.