• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
That Recipe
  • Recipes
  • Members
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Members
  • Subscribe
  • follow the fun

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Members
    • Subscribe
  • follow the fun

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • Γ—
    • Frosted pecan blondies on a plate
      Frosted Maple Pecan Blondies: Simple Indulgent Dessert Bars
    • green sauce in a jar
      Chermoula Deliciously Easy African Green Sauce
    • almond ricotta pie topped with strawberry sauce
      Almond Ricotta Pie: Rich Creamy Italian Dessert
    • close up of a bowl of chili with beans. topped with cheese.
      Wendy's Chili Copycat: Meaty Two Bean Chili
    • shrimp and white beans on a plate
      Discover the Deliciousness of Shrimp Oreganata
    • top down view of shrimp spinach frittata topped with avocado
      Shrimp and Spinach Frittata Easy One Pan Meal
    • chicken and broccoli stir fry
      Easy Healthy Chicken and Broccoli Skillet
    • bowl of cocktail wieners in sauce
      Sweet and Spicy Cocktail Wieners
    • Welsh cakes (cookies) on a plate
      Welsh Cakes A Unique and Easy Dessert!
    • eggnog biscotti and a cup of coffee
      Eggnog Biscotti: Crunchy Holiday Treat
    • Southern Tea Cakes on a plate
      Southern Tea Cakes: Tender Tangy Treats
    • collage of no bake treats
      No Bake Recipes to sell at Bake Sales
    Home Β» Recipes Β» Vegetables

    This site contains affiliate links to various websites, including Amazon.com. read more

    Easy Mediterranean Pasta Salad is Bursting with Flavor

    Published: Jun 20, 2017 Β· Modified: May 17, 2025 by Audrey Β· This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Mediterranean Pasta Salad combines flavors of Italy, Greece, Morocco and more into a flavorful pasta salad perfect for picnics, barbecues and more.

    This Mediterranean Pasta Salad packs a lot of amazing flavors into each bite. From the peppery taste of fresh arugula to the salty appeal of Kalamata olives, preserved lemons and feta cheese, there is nothing bland or boring about this dish.

    Yet, its strong flavors aren’t overwhelming because they are tempered by the satisfying addition of penne pasta and fresh herbs.

    penne pasta salad on a plate

    This robust salad has enough presence to serve as a light, yet satisfying, main course - or it can act as the perfect complement to more neutral dishes, like grilled chicken breast or a mild white fish.

    What are Preserved Lemons?

    Preserved Lemons are just like they sound, lemons preserved in salt and water. The result is an intense lemony flavor that is a wonderful complement to this salad. They are very popular in North African, particularly Moroccan, cuisine.

    You may be able to find them at Target, WalMart, or World Market or you can pick them up online. If you want to make your own, it is simple but it takes at least 3-4 days.

    As a substitute you can use some grated lemon zest for the citrusy kick in this salad.

    Ingredients for Mediterranean Pasta Salad

    This recipe uses ingredients throughout the Mediterranean region, including Italy, Greece and Morocco:

    • penne pasta (or favorite pasta shape)
    • arugula, tomato, red onion, garlic
    • fresh basil and oregano leaves (yes, fresh is really the only way to go here)
    • Kalamata olives (or ripe black olives)
    • preserved lemons (or fresh lemon zest)
    • Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and feta cheese
    • extra virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and Dijon mustard
    penne pasta salad on a plate

    Recipe

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 pound penne pasta (cooked according to package directions)
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
    • 1 Large tomato (chopped with seeds and excess liquid removed)
    • 15 Large fresh basil leaves (cut into thin strips)
    • 2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves (stems removed and chopped)
    • Β½ cup Kalamata olives
    • ΒΌ cup red onion (thinly sliced)
    • Β½ cup preserved or fresh lemons (chopped)
    • 2 cups fresh arugula
    • 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (grated)
    • 3 ounces feta cheese (cut into small cubes)

    VINAIGRETTE

    • ΒΎ cups extra virgin olive oil
    • ΒΌ cup white balsamic vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

    Instructions
     

    • To make the vinaigrette, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and mustard together in a small bowl until blended smooth.
    • Add olive oil and garlic to a cold pan and set heat to medium high. SautΓ© for approximately 2 minutes before adding chopped tomato. Cook for 3 minutes or until the tomato softens. Remove from heat.
    • In a large bowl, combine the cooked tomato and garlic mixture with the basil, oregano, olives, red onion and preserved lemons. Add the cooked pasta, arugula and both types of cheese. Finally, add the vinaigrette and toss to combine.
    • Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, at least 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

    Notes

    Preserved lemons can be purchased here (affiliate link) or use fresh lemon zest.

    More Vegetable recipes

    • close up of corn and tomato salad
      Grilled Corn and Avocado Salad a Tasty Summer Side
    • chicken Caesar salad on a plate
      Chicken Caesar Salad a Light Healthy Meal
    • strawberry spinach salad in a bowl
      Strawberry Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing is a Delightful Spring Salad
    • salad on a plate with text overlay "chicken, bacon and avocado salad"
      Chicken, Bacon and Avocado Salad Makes a Quick Meal

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Marilyn Lesniak

      June 20, 2017 at 3:37 pm

      Thank you for hosting. Enjoy your day!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    audrey humaciu in kitchen

    Welcome, I'm Audrey, an avid "maker" that believes home made is better.

    Whether it's cooking, crafting, gardening, home dΓ©cor, even blog design, I love getting my hands dirty and trying new things... even if I make a mess in the process.

    learn more -->

    Spring Favorites

    • glasses of lemon blueberry punch with text overlay "sparkling lemon blueberry mocktail"
    • bowl of carrot soup
    • strawberry spinach salad in a bowl
    • square cake topped with fresh strawberries and fresh lavender blossoms

    See more Spring Recipes β†’

    Member Only Content

    Get access to members only content for FREE!

    collage of recipe guides

    Join today

    * indicates required

    /* real people should not fill this in and expect good things - do not remove this or risk form bot signups */

    Intuit Mailchimp

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy/Disclosures
    • Cookie Notice
    • Copyright Notice

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work with me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright Β© 2025 ThatRecipe

    Manage Cookie Consent
    We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
    Preferences
    {title} {title} {title}