Spinach Pasta Salad
Updated Jan 31, 2026
Mediterranean-inspired spinach pasta salad recipe made with penne pasta, spinach, feta, and a tangy red wine vinegar dressing. Comes together in 20 minutes.
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This Spinach Pasta Salad Is Soo Good Hot or Cold!
I didn’t mean for this spinach pasta salad recipe to turn into something I eat both hot and cold, but that’s exactly what keeps happening. It works cold like a traditional pasta salad, and it’s just as good hot; the spinach wilts, and everything feels more like a “regular” pasta dish.
I Mediterranean-ized it with sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, feta, and a vinegar dressing, it’s soo hard to stop eating once it’s mixed. This spinach pasta salad is one of those accidental favorites that ends up in constant rotation because it doesn’t fit neatly into one category, and that’s exactly why I like it.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Spinach Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Pasta: I use penne, but you can use any short pasta you like, such as cavatappi, macaroni, or fusilli.
- Spinach: I recommend baby spinach because it’s tender and easy to eat raw.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: I love oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes because they have more flavor than ones that come in a bag. Plus, I use the oil for the salad dressing.
- Artichoke hearts: I recommend artichoke hearts that come in a jar instead of dehydrated ones for more flavor.
- Red onion: I prefer red onion here instead of white or yellow because it’s milder. You could also use shallots or green onions. Read my tips on how to thinly slice an onion.
- Feta cheese: Goat cheese is a good alternative.
- For the dressing: You’ll need the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, red wine vinegar, and minced garlic.
- Seasonings: Just crushed red pepper flakes (if you like spice), salt, and pepper.
How to Make Spinach Pasta Salad![]()
Spinach Pasta Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne pasta
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 7 ounce sundried tomatoes in oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove minced
- black pepper to taste
- 1 7-ounce jar artichoke hearts drained and coarsely chopped
- 4 cups baby spinach
- ½ medium red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- Crushed red pepper for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water until no longer hot. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk about 4 tablespoons oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, red wine vinegar, and garlic until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the pasta to the bowl with the dressing and toss together. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, baby spinach, red onion, and feta.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Top with crushed red pepper and serve. Enjoy hot or cold.
Equipment
Notes
- My Top Tip: Cook the pasta to al dente. If it’s undercooked, it’ll be too soft and break apart. But if it’s overcooked, it’ll taste chewy.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4–5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Variations
- Add protein: Fold in shredded chicken or roasted chickpeas for a more complete meal.
- Have fun with add-ins: Sunflower seeds, toasted walnuts, and toasted pine nuts are great options.
Recipe Tips
- Salt the pasta water well. This is your main chance to season the pasta itself, which keeps the salad from tasting bland.
- Add dressing slowly. Start with less than you think you need. You can always add more, and you don’t want the pasta to get soggy.
Serving Ideas
- Mains: Grilled Salmon, Pesto Grilled Chicken, Grilled Shrimp
- Sides: Grilled Corn on the Cob, Grilled Carrots, Grilled Potatoes
- Soup: Cucumber Soup, Zucchini Soup, Cucumber Gazpacho
FAQs
Yes! It’s a great make-ahead dish for potlucks and cookouts. Prep everything in advance, but keep the spinach and some extra dressing separate. Mix it all together just before serving so it’s fresh.
No, it’s not necessary here. The dressing has no mayonnaise, so you can add it straight to warm pasta. The spinach leaves will wilt a little, but the salad will still be delicious.
Either! It tastes great both ways.
Comments
LOVED this recipe!! Flavorful and now a family favorite! Thank you!
Yay!! So glad your family loved it! Thank you so much!!
This was so delicious and fast prep, I liked the crispness of the spinach. Will be making this often.
Yay, that’s amazing! So happy you liked it. Thanks, Pat!
My go-to pasta salad. I make it once a month. However, I cut the sun dried tomato quantity in half, double the artichokes, quadruple the spinach (takes a while, need to stir it in and stir it in over time), cut the feta in half, at least double the garlic, put a whole red onion in, and add a can of garbanzo beans.
Love how you’ve made the salad your own, Andy! Sounds so good, thank you for sharing!!
This is a delicious spinach and pasta! I just made it for the first time and I can’t wait to serve it to family and friends. Thank you! I love trying new recipes and this one has many of my favorite ingredients.
So glad you enjoyed it, Julie!
Great salad. The bottles of sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts I can find are bigger so I add another cup of spinach and a bit more pasta. Still plenty of dressing. But the recipe calls for way too much feta in my opinion. You can easily cut in half. But it’s in my regular rotation.
Thank you so much for the feedback, Andy!
I have made this now several times and it is always sooooo good! This time I added a little fresh sweet corn and 1TB of a cranberry pear white balsamic (that I had bought for fun to try) with rice vinegar and it was very very tasty!! Thank you for all of your common sense and ready to make recipes!!!
That makes me so happy to hear! I love the sound of that to switch it up. You’re so welcome!
love it
Thank you!
Can’t wait to make it!!
Let me know what you think once you get a chance to try it!
I may be overlooking it but I couldn’t find the exact measurements of the ingredients. I just went for it and it is delicious. Next time I will probably use less of the 16 oz box of noodles. It is still very good and I enjoyed it very much!
It can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page! Glad you were able to make it work!
I can’t wait to Make this salad 😋
Hope you love it!
Is this the right link for the chickpea salad?
It’s on my website under Chickpea Salad: https://feelgoodfoodienet.bigscoots-staging.com/recipe/chickpea-salad/
Am I missing something? This is in a group of chickpea recipes & I don’t see chickpeas in ingredients or directions? Thankyou
Hi! Oh no, I didn’t realize it was linked in a group of chickpea recipes. I updated this recipe and it used to have chickpeas but no longer does. You can totally add it though! And I will go ahead and delete it from that list. Thank you!
Sounds amazing, can’t wait to cook it! Am I able to add some grilled chicken to the recipe for some extra protein?
Thank you so much! Yes, you can definitely do that.
Looooved this recipe! An instant favorite. It’s so easy, quick, and delicious!
Yay!! That’s amazing!
Really unique pasta salad! We enjoyed it. Next time I’m going to try it with blue cheese crumbles 🤤 and maybe some
Cranberries or candied walnuts!
Thank you so much! Sounds like a fun way to switch it up for sure!
Best salad ever!! Obsessed! 👌
Thank you so much!!
This was awesome! Like so many of your recipes I loved it 🙂
And also a great dinner to make if you want to go meatless!
Thank you!!
Thank you! Yes, exactly!
Hi Yumna
Can I use frozen spinach instead of fresh?
Yes, you can!
Made this for lunch today and it exceeded my expectations – so much flavor! I can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow! This would also be a perfect side dish to compliment any main course. Saving this one to make again and again. Thank you for sharing so many delicious recipes, Yumna!
That makes me so incredibly happy to hear! It really would be! You’re so welcome.
Question: When do you add the sun dried tomatoes or do you just use the oil from the jar?
We liked the salad, very easy to put together!
You can add it in step 4 along with the artichokes, baby spinach, red onion, and feta. Glad to hear you enjoyed the salad!
I see my confusion now. I didn’t read all the way down to instructions, I got on the “How to make Salad” section and in Step 3 it omits the tomatoes. Thank you for clarifying.
Totally understand! Glad I could help clarify!
This salad is a keeper! I love this recipe’s versatility and adaptability for individual tastes and creativity!
I had baby kale on hand and I used that instead of spinach (I don’t notice any difference in taste.)
My grocery store had healthy seaweed pasta on special, so I decided to go with that…all very good choices!
I chose to add Kalamata and pimento-stuffed olives and can’t wait to make this again using Parmesan cheese instead of feta.
Thanks Yumna! Give give it five stars🍽👏
I love that! That all sounds lovely. Thank you!!
Madam you are always sharing lot of knowledge.Like it really also spinach has lot of benefits also side effects.
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