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Summer Greek Pasta Salad (vegan recipe)

A fresh summer pasta salad that sings with the flavours of Greece. This vegan recipe includes a zingy dressing

Summer Greek Pasta Salad


Summer Greek Pasta Salad



Greek pasta salad.

We've all enjoyed a really good Greek salad, especially if we've been on holiday in Greece or Cyprus.

The flavours go so well together and just scream summer.  

Ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, olives, salty feta, and parsley.

I had the idea to change this into a pasta salad, as my family are big fans of pasta salad

We usually toss our cold pasta with pesto, sweetcorn, cherry tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and basil, so this was a nice change.




Summer Greek Vegan Pasta Salad

Vegan Greek Salad


To make this Greek salad vegan, I used dairy-free cream cheese, which I gently rolled into balls, instead of feta cheese. 

It wasn't salty like feta, but you still get the saltiness from the olives and it worked really well.

If you are vegetarian, you could use feta cheese.

This salad is perfect for lunch, a light dinner, lunchboxes, picnics and BBQs.



Greek Salad Dressing


You wouldn't want a tangy dressing on hot pasta, but it works really well on a cold pasta salad

A traditional Greek salad dressing is often just olive oil and seasoning and sometimes it has some vinegar in it to. 

I made mine with olive oil, red wine vinegar and black pepper. It was very tasty.


Try it with this Easy Greek Salad Dressing


Close up of a Summer Greek Vegan Pasta Salad

How to prepare cucumber


I hold my hands up and admit the most preparation a cucumber usuallly gets in this house is a wash before I slice it

In honour of my Greek pasta salad, I took the time to cut the cucumber in half lengthways and scoop out the soft seeds with a teaspoon. 

It does give a nice finish and is less watery, so I can see the sense in taking the time to scoop the seeds out.

I shall mend my ways from now on. 

At least for a day or two, then I shall forget and just slice it seeds and all.



also try Vegan Macaroni Salad (quick and creamy) from my other blog The Vegan Lunch Box 


A bowl of Summer Greek Vegan Pasta Salad


How to get glossy pasta


I've said this before and I have to say it again, it's so important to make sure the pasta isn't overcooked if you want glossy firm pasta. 

Test it before the cook time (on the packet) is up and keep an eye on it. 

Soft pasta can spoil a pasta salad. 

The second step that is just as important is to rinse the pasta in a colander under cold water until the pasta is cold, then drain as much water off as you can. 

There is nothing worse than soft, claggy pasta. Follow my steps and your pasta salads will always be exceptional.


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Summer Greek Pasta Salad - a fresh summer salad with the flavours of Greece. Vegan salad with free printable recipe


Pinterest


Remember to follow me on Pinterest and if you make this salad click on the above pin and leave a photo of your salad with a comment telling me what you think or any changes you made. 

I love to see what my readers do with my recipes and I'm always looking for new ideas and tweaks.



TRY THIS NEXT



Creamy Chestnut Mushroom and Fresh Herb Pasta Salad


Creamy Mushroom & Fresh Herb Pasta Salad


If you like my Greek Pasta Salad, then you must try my Creamy Chestnut Mushroom and Fresh Herb Pasta Salad.

This is an easy pasta salad with chestnut mushrooms as the star of the show.

It's the perfect dish to take on picnics or to serve at a BBQ. Messicani pasta with mushrooms and fresh herbs in a light creamy sauce. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.


23 comments

  1. Oh this recipe looks amazing! I love a fresh macaroni salad and I love the Greek spin on it

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    1. Thanks Olivia and yes the Greek flavours are so good.

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  2. What a clever idea to roll vegan cream cheese into little balls - I wouldn't have thought of it but makes this into a perfect Greek Salad. Sharing!

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    1. It rolls quite well and just looks a bit nicer than blobs :)

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  3. Love your idea about the vegan cheese balls. They would be great preserved in garlic oil, I'm sure. Greek pasta salad any time :-) Pinned and Tailwind

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    1. Oh yes that's a good idea. I also sometimes roll them in crushed nuts, which is nice in a salad. Thanks for sharing :)

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  4. Love simple salads like this! I never use red wine vinegar - need to give that a try, it sounds yummy.

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    1. It can work really well in dressings and chutneys Becca.

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  5. Lovely summery salad which you could even ring in the changes with some pan fried tofu:-)

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  6. My kids are so fascinated with the shape of pasta as a bow. Gets them to eat more pasta.!! This sounds so delicious. I love pasta in salads too!

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  7. What a lovely, light and delicious salad. I absolutely love mediterranean flavors, especially during warm summer days. This is definitely going on my to try list. YUmm!

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  8. Seriously. Two of my favorite dishes combined! YUM! What a great recipe to add into my summer rotation!

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  9. I love pasta salad and take it for lunch in the summer months. Your version looks so tasty and delicious.I like the fact that you have used vegan cheese.

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  10. looks lovely and summery - I like your idea of rolling cream cheese balls instead of feta - and I never would think to scoop seeds out of cucumber but will try it.

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  11. This look so pretty and ideal for today's hot summery weather. I'm very tempted to hot foot it to the shops to buy a cucumber and tomatoes so I can make some. I'm terribly lazy when it comes to cucumber and do what you do, but it is nice when they are prepared properly.

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  12. It must be pasta salad time, I made one at the weekend. This looks like a great combination of flavours.

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  13. What a pretty salad! It's look just perfect for the Summer season and for packing into lunchboxes & picnic baskets :) Love your idea of using vegan cream cheese balls instead of feta!

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  14. And just a perfect dish for all out summer cookouts and potlucks!

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  15. Loved this! So easy quick and perfect, I also added a little red onion too! Fiona x

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    1. I am so glad you enjoyed it and adding red onion is a really good idea. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know.

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  16. Ooooh, YUM. We call this The Salad Of Awesome and it's our dinner salad all summer long. Lacking our typical ingredients just now has given us an opportunity to switch things out and try new flavors and textures - for instance, in a green salad, we've discovered that strawberries stand in well for tomatoes with romaine and the same soft cream cheese style cheese (or feta-style). We sometimes add a bit of Field Roast vegan sausage, or chives with our parsley to our Awesome salad. Last night, we peeled our cucumber and whizzed up the peel with our oil and vinegar and a bit of the soft cheese and garlic to make a creamy dressing. Not as pretty as yours, I'm positive, but still a very good meal!

    It's a bit hopeful that it's sunnier and warming, isn't it? ☺

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    1. Mmmmm sounds good. Yes we love pasta salads too. So quick and easy to throw together. Less time to make dinner too.

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I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x