Sweet strawberries, salty feta cheese, tender pasta, crisp romaine lettuce, avocado, sliced almonds, and a tangy homemade poppy seed dressing come together in this fresh and colorful pasta salad. Strawberry feta pasta salad is perfect for summer cookouts, picnics, potlucks, and easy weeknight dinners. Feel free to add grilled chicken, shrimp, salmon, or chickpeas on top for extra protein.
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photos and more success tips.
If you’ve never paired strawberries with feta before, you’re in for a treat.
The sweetness of the berries and the salty, tangy feta balance each other beautifully, while crunchy romaine, creamy avocado, and toasted almonds add plenty of texture.
Every bite is fresh, flavorful, and satisfying!
Unlike heavier mayonnaise-based pasta salads, this version gets its creamy texture from a simple homemade Greek yogurt poppy seed dressing. It’s light, tangy, and packed with flavor. (I use it on fresh salads all the time!)
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Feta Pasta Salad
- Made with fresh, seasonal strawberries
- Creamy Greek yogurt dressing (no mayonnaise)
- Ready in about 30 minutes
- Easy to make ahead for parties and cookouts
- Full of contrasting flavors and textures
- Perfect alongside grilled chicken, burgers, steak, or salmon
Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing Ingredients
This dressing is one of my favorite parts of the recipe. Instead of relying on mayonnaise, it uses Greek yogurt for a lighter, tangier flavor while still delivering plenty of creaminess.
- Greek Yogurt: You can use any kind of plain Greek yogurt—nonfat 0%, lowfat, or whole milk. The full-fat kind will give you the richest and creamiest taste.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: If you don’t have any, you can substitute white vinegar or fresh lemon juice.
- Olive Oil: Extra-virgin olive oil is the other main component of this dressing.
- Honey: Provides a touch of sweetness.
- Salt: Key flavor enhancer.
- Dijon Mustard: Don’t worry, you won’t taste much mustard here. It adds a little zip of flavor, but its real job is to emulsify. What does this mean? It helps the oil and vinegar blend together into a smooth, creamy dressing that coats every bite.
- Poppy Seeds: Adds a subtle crunch!
Pasta Salad Ingredients You Need
- Pasta: Choose a pasta shape with plenty of ridges or curves to catch the dressing. Rotini, fusilli, cavatappi, gemelli, or farfalle (bowtie) are all great choices.
- Romaine Lettuce: For the freshest-tasting results, chop the romaine yourself rather than buying a bag of pre-chopped lettuce. Romaine hearts provide the crunchiest bite.
- Fresh Strawberries: Fresh strawberries are the star of this recipe. If your strawberries are especially ripe, gently pat them dry after washing to prevent excess moisture from watering down the dressing.
- Feta Cheese: Feta provides the salty, creamy contrast to the sweet strawberries and crunchy lettuce. Whenever possible, buy a block of feta packed in brine and crumble it yourself. It has a creamier texture and fresher flavor than the pre-crumbled variety.
- Avocado: Ripe avocados add a buttery, creamy texture that complements the sweet strawberries and tangy feta. Look for avocados that feel slightly soft when gently squeezed; they should give just a little without feeling squishy.
- Sliced Almonds: Almonds add a mild nutty flavor and another crunchy texture contrast. If you have time, toast them before using, for enhanced flavor.
Need a nut-free option? Feel free to skip the almonds or replace with sunflower seeds. Just as tasty!
Let’s Put It All Together
The process is simple and straightforward. While the pasta is cooking, prep/slice the other ingredients.
After draining the pasta, rinse it briefly under cool water to stop the cooking and help it cool more quickly. Drain well and cool completely before assembling the salad.
For the dressing, simply whisk all the ingredients together until smooth. Refrigerate until needed:
Add the pasta, romaine, strawberries, feta, avocado, and almonds to a large bowl. Toss with the dressing until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
If you’re serving the salad within 2 hours, go ahead and toss the avocado in with the other ingredients. However, if you’re making the salad farther in advance, wait to add the avocado until just before serving to prevent it from browning and becoming too soft.
3 Success Tips
This recipe is wonderfully simple, but these small details make a noticeable difference.
- Salt the Pasta Water: This is your only opportunity to season the pasta itself. The water should taste salty… think “salted soup.” It gives the finished salad much more flavor than seasoning at the end alone.
- Don’t Overcook the Pasta: Cook the pasta just until al dente. It will continue to soften slightly as it absorbs some of the dressing while chilling.
- Make-Ahead Tip: If fully assembled ahead of time, reserve a small amount of dressing to stir in just before serving. Pasta naturally absorbs dressing as it sits, and this little refresh helps restore its creamy texture!
Serving Suggestions
As a side dish, this strawberry feta pasta salad would be great alongside any of the main dishes on my list of 20+ fresh summer dinner ideas.
Black bean burgers for sure!
And if you’re looking to turn it into a satisfying meal, top it with grilled chicken, salmon, or shrimp. Or try chickpeas for a vegetarian option.
With its vibrant colors and variety of textures, this salad is always a hit at any large-gathering occasion. The combo is a bit unexpected, but always welcomed!
Helpful Pasta Salad Tools
Wooden Cutting Board
Non-Stick Ceramic Cookware Set
Creamy Strawberry Feta Pasta Salad
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings
- Category: Pasta Salad
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Sweet strawberries, salty feta cheese, tender pasta, crisp romaine lettuce, avocado, sliced almonds, and a tangy homemade poppy seed dressing come together in this fresh and colorful pasta salad. Strawberry feta pasta salad is perfect for summer cookouts, picnics, potlucks, and easy weeknight dinners. Feel free to add grilled chicken, shrimp, salmon, or chickpeas on top!
Ingredients
Poppy Seed Dressing
- 2/3 cup (160g) plain Greek yogurt*
- 1/4 cup (60g/ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup (56g/60ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup (85g) honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (or 1/2 teaspoon ground dry mustard)
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
Pasta Salad
- 1 pound (454g) uncooked pasta*
- 3 cups (about 150g) chopped romaine lettuce
- 1–1.5 lbs. (454–681g) fresh strawberries, sliced
- 3/4 cup (113g) crumbled feta cheese
- 2 avocados, diced
- 3/4 cup (85g) sliced almonds
- optional add-ins: chickpeas, grilled chicken, cooked shrimp, or cooked salmon
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cool water, then set aside to cool.
- Make the dressing: In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the Greek yogurt, vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt, mustard, and poppy seeds until smooth and combined.
- Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, romaine, strawberries, feta, avocado, and almonds. (And optional chickpeas and/or cooked chicken, shrimp, or salmon, if using.) Pour the dressing over top and stir gently until everything is evenly coated. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. For make-ahead instructions, see Note.
- Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Notes
- Make-Ahead Instructions: This is an excellent recipe for entertaining because a lot of the prep can be done ahead. Up to 1 day ahead, cook and cool the pasta, prepare the dressing, and chop the romaine and strawberries. Refrigerate everything separately. 30 minutes to a couple hours before serving, assemble the salad and toss with the dressing. If you’re assembling the salad more than a couple hours in advance, wait to add the avocado until just before serving to prevent it from browning and becoming too soft. Also, if the salad sits for several hours, reserve a small amount of dressing to stir in before serving. Pasta naturally absorbs dressing as it sits, and this little refresh helps restore its creamy texture.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Colander | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula
- Pasta: Choose a pasta shape with plenty of ridges or curves to catch the dressing. Rotini, fusilli, cavatappi, gemelli, or farfalle (bowtie) are all great choices.
- Greek Yogurt: You can use any fat content, from 0% (nonfat) to whole (full fat).
- Romaine: For the freshest-tasting results, chop the romaine yourself rather than buying a bag of pre-chopped lettuce. Romaine hearts provide the crunchiest bite.
Reader Comments and Reviews
This was really delicious and just the thing to serve for dinner on a hot & humid day. I liked all of the flavors/textures as well as the combination of a pasta salad/garden salad together. Added diced chicken and also made your pretzel dinner rolls, which were equally tasty. Whole family (2 adults, 4 kids) loved both recipes.
Made this for dinner last night and it was a hit! I made extra dressing to marinate some chicken, then added the cubed grilled chicken and some extra feta sprinkles on top of a platter filled with the salad to serve. It was beautiful and delicious!
I made this the night before my crafting group met and said farewell to one of our snow bird members. It was just OK. I followed the directions and based on reviews, I added the lettuce along with the other ingredients. The lettuce was soggy the day that I served it and it was an embarrassment to me. If I ever made this again, I’d add the lettuce at the time I served it.
This is so easy, so delicious and fresh/light. If you aren’t making this a staple in your dinner rotation, you aren’t living your best life.
Definitely tastes like summer. I kept some for the following day to see if it aged well. The romaine was wilty and overall, it didn’t look awesome like it did the first day. Very tasty but I will serve it day of rather than make ahead. Thanks for combo of flavors…really good.
Doesn’t the romaine get soggy if you make this salad the day before? Was planning to try for Easter and I’d love to make ahead but was a little worried.
Hi Cindy, we don’t find the romaine to be soggy the next day, although it will start to lose its crisp throughout the week. If you want, you can make the recipe ahead and add the romaine day of.
FANTASTIC!! We are away on vacation at the beach and I made this for lunch, today. It was absolutely delicious and we have lots leftover for tomorrow! Thank you, Sally! I love your recipes!!
Omgggggg!! WHAT A HIT!!
To stretch my strawberries I cubed them and used mini bow tie paste. I forgot to add my sliced almonds so I put them in a bowl on the side … it added a secondary crunch with the lettuce. (and won’t become soggy ). Got texts the next day saying “wished we would have brought home leftovers” My reply… yea ya done GOOFED cause it’s soooo YUMMY – HA!!
DEFINITELY a “go to” recipe
Any suggestions to leave out pasta …
Hi Mary Lou, you could leave out the pasta and use more lettuce in its place for more of a traditional salad. We haven’t tried it ourselves, but rice might be a good replacement for the pasta if you’d prefer.
I thought about dicing some zuchinni in place of pasta for my gluten-free friend. I think it’ll be delicious and add some extra crunch as well.
I have chia, but no poppy seeds and wonder how they would work to make the dressing. Anyone tried that by chance?
Hi Renee, we haven’t tested the dressing with chia seeds. I would simply leave out the poppy seeds instead of replacing them with chia seeds.
I have made this recipe no less than 10 times in the past 3 months! My daughter requests it every week and I am happy to oblige because it is SO delicious! The dressing pulls all the flavors together, and it is quick and easy to make. On the rare occasions we have leftovers, it tastes great the next day.
Can you substitute perhaps mini mozzarella cheese balls instead of feta or goat cheese in this recipe?
Yes, absolutely!
First of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY SALLY! And next, I made this over the weekend and OMG it is SO SO GOOD! I can’t stop eating it and my family loved it as well. Thank you for all your delicious recipes! You are awesome! 🙂
I made this recipe and it’s soooooooo yummy! I made this recipe per the instructions using rotini pasta, goat cheese, and Dijon mustard. I’m usually noy a fan of any kind of mustard but you cannot even taste the mustard. Thanks for a great recipe!
Made this for girls’ weekend–they didn’t mind being guinea pigs and loved the salad! It’s great as an entree or a side. Thank you. Made it as written with dry mustard. Thank you!
This recipe looks fantastic, and I’d love to make it for a vegan friend. I’ll omit the feta from her portion (it’s definitely going in mine!), and she makes exceptions for honey so that’s fine, but I’m trying to find a good substitute for the greek yogurt. I know there are vegan yogurt substitutes, but I don’t know about vegan greek yogurt substitutes. Do you think vegan (coconut based) yogurt would work? Any other ideas?
I’m sure that would be fine– make sure it is plain.
I made the salad and it was really good, but not good for leftovers because the avocado turns brown and the strawberries go limp. I would suggest making half a batch or cooking all the noodles and only dressing the noodles and add the fresh ingredients each day as you choose to eat it over the next several days.
I want to make this for a staff lunch at school, but we are nut free. Any suggestions for crunch without the almonds? Would sunflower seeds be too salty?
Not at all! I’d definitely use sunflower seeds instead.
What can i use instead the poppy seed in the dressing?
I cannot find it anywhere in México!!!
You can leave the poppy seeds out 🙂
Do you have any suggestions for substitutes for avocado in this recipe? Other than the avocado this looks delicious!
Hey Danielle! You can just leave it out. Or what about chopped red pepper, cucumber slices, or bacon crumbles?