Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Feta, and Herbed Mayonnaise
on Jul 26, 2019, Updated Jul 16, 2024
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A quick, summery, herb-flecked pasta that can be made ahead. Skip the bacon and it's vegetarian!
I am getting so much mileage out of my little Herbed Mayonnaise recipe. Having a tub of that in the fridge literally means that a new summery meal is but moments away. This simple creamy condiment is the driving force behind this beautiful herby pasta salad. This could well be a vegetarian main course (if you leave out the bacon), but it would also be a perfect pasta salad for a cookout, picnic, or potluck.
Serve this up with Grilled Top Sirloin, Grilled Tuna Steaks, or Air Fryer Lemon-Garlic Chicken Breasts.
Table of Contents
Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Herbed Mayonnaise: A quick summery meal that can be made ahead. Skip the bacon for a vegetarian side.
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Pasta Salad with Tomatoes Ingredients
- Pasta – Any chunky-shaped cooked pasta works.
- Olive oil
- Cherry tomatoes – There are a lot of tomatoes in this salad — I like pasta salads with lots of vegetables. Makes me feel much better about copious amounts of pasta salad on my plate.
- Feta – Crumbled or cubed.
- Bacon – Optional; leave out for a vegetarian salad
- Herbed Mayonnaise – The secret ingredient.
Variations
- You could add cooked shredded or cubed chicken or cooked shrimp to this for a great main course salad.
- Skip the bacon if you want a creamy summery, vegetarian pasta side salad.
How to Make Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Feta, and Herbed Mayonnaise
- Mix the main ingredients: Toss the pasta with the olive oil, cherry tomatoes, and feta.
- Toss with mayo and season: Add about 1/4 cup of the herbed mayo and toss until everything is well coated. Add more mayo by the tablespoon if it seems dry. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed, remembering that you will be adding bacon (if you are adding bacon), which will add saltiness and pepperiness.
- Add bacon and serve: Just before serving, toss in the bacon if desired.
Make Ahead and Storage
You can make this pasta salad up to a day or two ahead of time.
You could make all of the components of this salad, toss the pasta with the olive oil, and then keep everything separate (pasta, feta, and mayo refrigerated) for up to 3 days and toss before serving. That’s the best-case scenario. The tomatoes then avoid being refrigerated (always best) and the bacon is best added at the last minute so it keeps a bit of crunch. But when all is said and done, this entire salad is lovely to pull out of the fridge at any time, and leftovers make a perfect lunch.
What to Serve With Pasta Salad
More Summer Pasta Salad Recipes
Try all of these pasta salads this summer.
- Simple Vegetarian Spring Pasta Salad
- Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Pasta Salad with Chicken, Green Olives, and Ramp Vinaigrette
- Greek Chicken Pasta Salad
- Shrimp Orzo Salad
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Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Feta, and Herbed Mayonnaise
Ingredients
- ½ pound chunky-shaped cooked pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes (halved)
- ½ cup crumbled feta
- ¼ cup Herbed Mayonnaise (plus more as needed)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
- ½ cup crumbled cooked bacon or bacon lardons (optional)
Instructions
- Toss the pasta with the olive oil, cherry tomatoes, and feta.
- Add about 1/4 cup of the herbed mayo and toss until everything is well coated. Add more mayo by the tablespoon if it seems dry. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed, remembering that you will be adding bacon (if you are adding bacon), which will add saltiness and pepperiness.
- Just before serving, toss in the bacon if desired.
