Spinach Pasta Salad

I made this to accompany burgers at our barbecue and a lot of people had seconds. The salad didn't get to chill longer then two hours before we served it and I felt like it really needed to sit longer. I had some the next day for lunch and it tasted much better. Next time I make this I will make it the night before so that the flavors have time to meld together. I substitued tri-colored spiral pasta because I think it adds to the presentation of the salad. I also added some plum tomatoes sliced in half and I added a small sweet yellow pepper diced. Do not skimp on the spinach in this recipe. It adds a wonderful flavor and color to the pasta salad. Very tasty recipe!

Super! Delicious! If you have a small to medium red onion slice the whole thing...if it is a HUGE red onion do half ...besides that stick with the directions and you will have a perfect filling salad with just the right amount of seasonings. I used Ken's Italian Dressing with Parmesan and it added greatly ....I have already been asked to pass the recipe along...thanks for the contribution!

I brought this to a potluck for my running club and watched it disappear. I used whole wheat corkscrew pasta, however, and it added a nice texture. Use the biggest bowl you have to mix--until the spinach breaks down in the dressing the volume is enormous.

This was delicious, though a bit bland until I added a few extras. We use ricotta salata instead of Feta, sweet vidalia onion instaed of red onion (didn't have a red onion on hand), added a bit more salt and garlic powder and we made our own dressing from the juice of an additional lemon and some good olive oil. I'm sure if I had used the Feta, we would not have needed the salt but my daughter is anti-feta cheese! Thanks for submitting! Oh, the next day I added some grilled chicken breast to the leftovers and had lunch. 8/12/10 update: It came out even better the second time! Needed it for a pool party. Cooked the pasta early in the day, mixed in 1/2 C of the italian dressing (used bottled this time), the red onion, grated the lemon & added it along with the lemon juice. The grated lemon added SO much flavor! Then I added the olives, s/p and garlic powder. Let it rest in the fridge all day. I also shredded the ricotta salata and washed and dried the baby spinach in tha early moring & put in the fridge. Near dinner time I only added another 1/4 C of dressing, chopped the fresh spinach & added that & the shredded cheese, tossed it well and was done. It got rave reviews from EVERONE as well as many requests for the recipe!

Perfect pasta salad. A tip on the onions: After chopping, put in a sieve or colander and run cold water over them for 30 seconds, as that will take the "bite" out of them and won't be as overpowering the next day. Thanks Kim for the great recipe.

I loved this salad! very easy to make. i followed it exactly except i followed the advice to cut down the onion amt. my husband felt that the spinach was a little soggy so next time i will add it towards the end. but this was delicious!

I mixed the pasta salad together and put it in the fridge to wait a few hours before adding the spinach, as another reviewer recommended. But my family started helping themselves before the spinach ever got added. They loved it. I had used Greek salad dressing instead of italian and added some chopped up sliced pepperoni. It was so yummy I may just keep this as my Greek Pasta Salad recipe and just forget about the spinach ingredient. Thanks.

This was a great, fresh salad. I used only about 3/4 of the recommended dressing, and don't put it on too far in advanced because the spinach wilts. Also I added four chopped up tomatoes, which added extra color and flavor. Yum!

THIS WAS DELICIOUS!!! It was a hit at brunch.I got a lot of great feedback. I made a few changes. I used about half of a small red onion(less is better). I love feta cheese so I used an 8 oz container and I used 3/4c.of the italian dressing.

This was an excellent accompaniment to our Easter meal of oven roasted lamb with lemon-pepper seasoning! I modified the recipe somewhat by using 16 oz of pasta, 1 small can of sliced black olives, and 4 oz of tomato-basil feta cheese. This is a recipe that is sure to become a family favorite and will be wonderful for summer barbecues and potlucks since it can be made ahead of time and looks so pretty and tastes great!!

Wonderful salad! Perfect to take to a pot luck. Leftovers are even better as the pasta takes on all the flavors. Very healthy and tons of flavor!

in 2003 i made this recipie. i gave it 5 stars and a great review. it's been made so many time since.... work potlucks, holidays, bbq's, etc. i'm excited that i'm making it again for a get together tomorrow and can't wait to share the recipie with others

I brought this dish to a recent potluck and it received some very positive feedback. I made a few changes - no black olives or garlic salt - added a few extra garlic cloves - added 1 generous cup of thawed frozen peas - added 1 generous cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes

My kids loved it. I used wishbone's balsamic vinaigrette. I added pepperoni. I think that next time I will make 2 batches, one without onions and olives, because some of my kids didn't like them, and one with all the good stuff. Other than that it was very very good. My 10 year old said that the feta cheese was what made it really good. My 12 year old can't stop eating it!

one of my favorite salads , I had to make some changes: I add a can of Garbanzo beans , I use Kalamata olives instead of the regular olives , I use plain Feta cheese and I add sun dried tomatoes.

I'm so mad that I found this recipe at the end of summer. I would have made it all summer long if I'd discovered it sooner. This had so much flavor and it was even better the next day. I don't know if my garlic was extra potent but it was a little garlic-y. I did not use canned olives but instead went to Whole Foods and got marinated black olives from the bulk section. They have so much more flavor and taste fresher then the canned stuff.

Great with coctail shrimp on top!

Well, frankly I was disappointed with this and I’m not quite sure why. I did add some chopped tomato for a little more color. I thought the spinach would wilt more than it did, so if I make this again, I’ll be sure to chop my spinach a little smaller. Hubs is great about eating leftovers, but never went back and ate any more of this. Sorry.

delicous and easy, i added shrimp to make it into a meal

Very yummy and light.The only thing I added was cucumber, 1/2 tsp oregano, and grape tomatoes. Will be making very soon.

My kids adore spinach and pasta, so this was a double treat for them as well as for us. As usual, I always add more seasonings but we all really loved this Kim!

I changed the recipe somewhat. I used whole wheat penne pasta, cut up one chicken breast,and some shredded parmesan cheese. I also used Extra Virgin olive oil instead of Italian dressing. It was very tasty. I will definitely make this again.

I felt like a Martha Stewart clone when I finished making this salad. It has great presentation and looks healthy. Tastes good too! It seems to be forgiving if you add/decrease any of the ingredients. Thanks Kim!

This is a simple basic pasta salad recipe. You can add any veggies you have on hand to change this up. I usually throw in something extra veggie wise. Make with your veggies of choice, but I would not leave out the spinich!

Served it at my son's 4th birthday party. There was none left!

A very tasty salad with a kick. my husband loved it. He said it was still great two days later.

I love this recipe. The second time I made this salad the only changes I made was to make the night before minus adding 07/15/15 the spinach. I also added grated Parmesan cheese and 5 oz. lightly toasted pine nuts in evoo. Mix all together and refrigerate overnight. Add spinach to avoid wilting the next day. Excellent left overs if you are lucky enough to have any. UPDATE 07/15/2016: try using penne pasta and buy Boar's Head creamy Feta cheese crumbles....no need to add any other cheese. Be sure to add lightly browned pine nuts and it is so perfect.

I made this as a sidedish for a family BBQ and I'm already hearing "Bring that pasta salad w/ the spinach." I thought it was too strong on the onion so next time I'm going to reduce that a bit.

Yummy! I just made this for dinner. I added some dried basil because I didn't have the flavored feta, and some leftover grilled steak (sliced thin), and a few bacon crumbles. Thanks for the great summer dinner salad. Traditional spinach salad is great, but this is a nice change that will remain in my rotation.

Very Good! I have made several times. I prefer Ken's Italian style dressing and I usually add spiced up chicken to make it a meal. I also use kalamata olives instead of black olives. Just make sure they're pitted! Even better the next day after the flavors have all combined.

have made this several times and its always great! I make it exactly as stated. Its my new go to for cookouts /potlucks.

Made this for dinner... i added artichokes and grilled chicken..very yummy...i will be making this again...the family loved it??

Good and easy. Make it the night before and mix in the spinach before serving.

9-20-11: Pretty good.

Really liked this. I did not add much more seasoning to the salad dressing because I thought my dressing had enough garlic flavor.

Delicious! I left the spinach out until a few minutes before dinner, but I loved this salad.

Very good. I'm bringing this to a pot luck tomorrow-I think I'll be the guest with the rave reviews! Thank you! Tweaked your recipe just a little: I left out the black olives (personal preference), added 3 chopped Roma tomatoes, and used 6oz of light feta. I added a little chopped fresh basil and a couple of chopped leaves of fresh mint. I love being able to go out to my garden at this time of year and just pick a little fresh herbs:)

very good. I would use less garlic and onion next time though---cut them in half! although very good as is ---you can count on having bad breath for at least a week after eating this! If you plan on getting close to anyone make sure they eat this delicious salad too!

This was YUMMY!! Nice change from the norm. pasta salad I always make. My hubby really liked as my son did too...I'm sure my daughter will when she eats it. I followed the recipe to a T...I might of added more feta as I did not messure. I can't wait to eat it now that it has been 24 hours.

This was really good. It is a very versatile recipe where you could add anything you like in a pasta salad. I used penne pasta. I decreased the salad dressing to 1/2 cup to reduce the fat. It was still excellent. I used Ken's Italian Dressing with Romano cheese. I recommend adding the spinach just before serving to prevent wilting. Next time I will add some boiled eggs. I did add a jar of pimientos for color. Yum!

This salad was okay but a little disappointing. I followed directions exactly except holding off on adding spinach just before serving like some reviewers suggested. That was unnecessary. It made enough for two meals for us so even though I was expecting the spinach to be wilted the next day, it wasn't. I just didn't like the dressing on this so maybe that's the source of my disappointment. I used a low calorie Italian because I have to eat low fat and found it to be a bit tart. I will try again though and use a different dressing.

Yummy Mediterranean taste. I made my own dressing with garlic-infused olive oil and tarragon vinegar and added some tomatoes. Delicious! Thanks!

This was really good! I need a recipe in a hurry to bring to a work potluck lunch the next day. I took someone's suggestion and grated the lemon zest (about half the lemon) and added that in with the lemon juice. Great idea! I only used half the red onion (I'd say maybe 1/3 cup) bc I didn't want onion overpowering the salad. I also used the full 4oz container of feta and found that was the perfect amount. The only real change I made was to add in a half jar of sundried tomatoes, chopped. They added a lovely flavor! I mixed the salad the night before, minus the spinach and about 1/3 of the dressing. An hour before the lunch, I added in the chopped spinach and the remaining dressing. Out of 8 ppl at the lunch, I had 3 asking for the recipe and everyone commented that they liked it. Great recipe!

Probably the most delicious salad I have ever eaten. Husband loved it as well--absolutely wonderful!

I made the recipe exactly how it says only I served it hot and my hubby loved it! Can't wait to try it this summer cold!

The only thing worth changing is the amount of red onion, less is better, other than that make it just as the recipe goes. And add the spinach with other ingredients. I tossed it later and it was not done enough.

Both my husband and I LOVED this pasta salad! It is now my favorite. I followed the recipe, exactly

I am not normally a pasta salad fan because of the cold pasta thing, but this one was really good. I substituted artichokes for the olives, used half the garlic, and it turned out great... perfect side dish for a BBQ and includes lots of healthy spinach!

My husband and I liked it, but my kids still knew it was spinach! Still, I'd make it again.

This is eating at its best. Pure bliss. The flavors were perfect together. I have made this several times now. One time I added shrimp, another time genoa salami, but it is always good as written. Thank-you!

Wish I'd read some of the suggestions before making for a potluck. Too much onion! I did scoop out about a half a cup when I saw how much I was adding, but it still wasn't enough. Also, 4 cloves of fresh garlic was too much, regardless of how big of a garlic fan you are. Next time I will probably cut down on everything except the pasta and spinach. But ingredient-wise, it was a great recipe! Just need to do some adjusting for next time. :-)

This salad is always a big hit in our family. It's not good as leftovers, though, so make sure you eat it while it's fresh!

I made my own italian vinagrette and used plain feta cheese, but added oven-dried tomatoes. Can you say YUMMY!

It was just OK. I think it could have used a big jar of chopped marinated artichoke hearts and the liquid instead of the Italian-style dressing and lemon juice. I did add lemon zest to it along with the lemon juice. I thought the farfalle too large a pasta for the dish, I think I'd use rotelle or seashell pasta instead. Doubtful I'll make again.

Great recipe! I followed a few other suggestions by adding a bit of salami, a lot of shaved parmesan, and halved grape tomatoes. I wanted my dish to look just like Morupe's! Superb flavor! These added ingrediants just enhanced the flavor it would have had without them. A keeper!

Even my little sister liked it, who doesn't like anything! It was a hit. :-)

Really good! I did cut down on dressing (3/4 cup) and have added in different veggies - red pepper and cucumber are my favorites. Thanks!!

Loved it!! I used garlic and onion powder instead of chopping up the garlic and onions. It still came out great!! This is the best pasta salad I've ever tasted!

This is the BEST recipe - all my friends love it and I take it everywhere and they all ask me for the recipe - My bowl always goes home empty!

This pasta salad was a hit with my family. I added yellow pepper and grape tomatoes to the salad. I also used fat free Italian salad dressing. The longer this salad sits the better it tastes. I'll definitely be making this again!

My son and husband said they really liked it and my husband asked me to make it once a week. I used Wishbone Just 2 good dressing to cut back on fay and calories. I also used a small can of sliced olives to cut back on fat & calories. I would have used reduced fat feta but I couldn't find it.

Was a last minute addition to my 4th of July spread and it was a BIG Hit! Very tasty and easy.

Great recipe! I added a jar of marinated artichoke hearts and only 2 cloves of garlic!

I made this at Christmas using Christmas Farfalle pasta. The main complaints about this dish was that it had WAY too many olives & dressing. I LOVE black olives but you could easily cut the olives in half & be ok. I would also say you'd be fine halving the Italian dressing too or at least cut it by a quarter cup. I'll try to make it again & see how it fares. I LOVE the feta cheese it calls for. It smells amazing.

I love this salad! My family wasn't as enthusiastic, but maybe it was too heavy on the cheese. I put in the full 5oz. block of feta and it was a little much. I also followed a reviewer's advice and added artichoke hearts. I'll be making this again (with the right amount of feta).

I made this once for a family get together and now my family requests that I make it everytime we eat together. Huge hit!

I have made this recipe twice now. I make my own Italian dressing, but the rest I pretty much followed. My kids usually start the protest as soon as they see the green stuff, but they gobbled this up before remembering to ask what the "green stuff" was. We really love this recipe and we don't mind the wilty spinach the next day, it's still yum!

This salad is FABULOUS! I've made 3 times this summer to rave reviews AND sent extra home with guests. Many requests for recipe. I've incorporated others' suggestions for artichoke hearts, red or orange bell pepper, and halved grape tomatoes. Yum!!

This recipe was just "ok" so I am wondering if maybe I should have used a different Italian salad dressing since it has so many 5 stars. I used Wishbone Italian. Next time I'll use something else. I did double the feta and next time will use a bit less onion.

This was great! I made as listed with the exception of using one recipe of "homemade" Italian sald dressing--such as Good Seasons with the packets instead of just one cup, and I used 10 oz spinach. So fresh tasting and yummy! Great for a change from heavy mayo based pasta salads. Thanks!

Very, very good!! I recommend adding the pasta last, after the dressing breaks the spinach down some. This way it makes the mixing a little easier.

This salad was better the day after making it. The flavors came together quite well. Adding cubed salami or cheese would also be good.

Very good salad. I made it as directed except I did use mozzarella instead of feta because none of us care for it. The garlic was a bit overwhelming. I will probably cut back a bit but other than that we loved it!

Good flavor & easy to make!

Took this to an office potluck. Everyone enjoyed. I made it the night before as suggested!

One batch of this makes a lot! More than 8 servings as the recipe says. I made this for a crowd of 20 as a side dish and had a couple servings left over. It was great...lots of compliments.

This was a fun mix of tastes; However, next time I will cut back on the red onion, or else leave it out altogether. Same with the fresh garlic; The taste is very strong. Nice change of pace for a pasta salad, though. Thank you for the recipe!

Easy salad to make, great flavor and widely accepted!

Loved it! Used the dressing per the recipe. It was very garlicy, but we all loved it. Guess it depends on your preference. I also added cucumber, yellow pepper and a little bit of salami. I especially loved that I could make this ahead of time. Kids used parmesan cheese instead of feta.

Fantastic....everyone really enjoyed this recipe!

I really like this recipe. The first time I followed directions exactly other than adding some cherry tomatoes. My husband and I ate all of it within two days. Since then I have tried different varations with great success. Today I added artichokes (marinated) and will get feedback at a family reunion tomorrow. It is a fun recipe to play with and always good.

FAB-U-LOUS!!!!! Great flavor & super easy to make!!! I will be adding this to my favorite recipe scrapbook :)

Absolutely Delicious! A whole onion is too much though. Next time I'll try a sweet variety of onion and only use half. I also want to try adding cherry tomatoes like other reviewers said, that sounds really good!

I haven't actually tried this recipe yet but it sure looks delish. Seems like grape tomatoes and salami were added for the picture and maybe should be added to list of ingredients.

This is a beautiful salad with lots of flavor! All of the adults enjoyed it at the family dinner I brought it to this evening. I am not really sure about the kids. I loved the colors and the strong flavors of the lemon, garlic and cilantro. I doubled the feta cheese. I am also glad I read the reviews and made the salad last night, so that it had about 24 hours for the flavors to blend. I was worried about the spinach getting soggy, but it didn't. I actually added half the spinach last night and the rest just before serving, but could have added it all last night and it would have been fine. Great addition to my list of favorite salads!

This was excellent! I made a large amount and it was also just as good the 2nd and 3rd day too. A crowd pleaser, lots of positive comments on this salad.

I made this salad for a casual BBQ and it was a hit. The only change I would make would be to use less red onion. A great dish if you need to add color to your table.

This recipe is awesome. It's got so much flavor - very addictive. I've brought it to a couple functions and it's always been a big hit. It makes a large amount so you need a crowd to eat it. I think it is great the next day too. I love the garlic in it but if you don't you might cut it down some. Thanks for the great recipe! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Super easy and delicious! I added pancetta, fresh basil leaves and a copped fresh tomato! Also, I only used half of the salad dressing. I figured I could add more but it was plenty.

Another great salad to my recipe collection. I added tomatoes, some cooked chicken and ham (my leftovers from fridge), used garlic/herb feta cheese and green onions instead of red(all I had). My husband had seconds. Great for hot summer days. Thanks.

This was fantastic! My friends loved it. I used a little extra feta and less onions. I also used a greek style Italian dressing and used less than called for so it wasn't too strong.

Something that I've learned from this website is that the ones that have lots of high ratings are usually recipes that can be fudged and still turn out delicious. I took the ingredient list and matched it the best I could with what I had on hand (in smaller amounts). I used another AllRecipe recipe for the Italian dressing. I think the thing that really gives it kick is the fresh garlic! I pressed a large clove into the salad and Yeeee-um!! I've already recommended it to a friend who is expecting. So give it a shot, I think you'll like it too.

This was so delicious! my whole family ate it up! even the kids who would normally NEVER eat spinach loved it. I also added sliced grape tomatoes.

This is so YUMMY!!! I made it without spinach (unfortunatly) but it was still delicious! I will make it again for sure! I agree to cut the red onion by half and add 3 garlic cloves instead of 4 to the dressing so it isn't so strong. I LOVE THIS RECIPE!

Fantabulous! Even my mother wanted seconds and that is saying something if you know my mother. I did add salami and tomatoes and olives turned out great will be making it again!

I made this recipe last night for company. It was a big hit. It has great flavor and is healthy. I used reduced fat feta and light italian dressing and it came out fine. I loved it and plan to make it again for our next bbq!

This is sooooooooooo yummy! It is such a nice change from eating the typical pasta salad...the ingredients blend so well together! Definitely adding this to my recipe book!! Can't wait to make this in the summer for my potluck bbq's! :) It was even better the second day after all the flavors had combined completely and the onions had softened a little bit and lost their bite. The only thing I might change is adding a little more dressing and cheese (I LOVE feta), and maybe adding cherry tomatoes (but only because I like tomatoes...it was great without, too!)

I made this salad for our father's day picnic (with only 7 people) and it was nearly all gone!!!! We couldn't stop eating it. I made my dressing from an Italian dressing package (using extra virgin olive oil/vinegar vs. bottled dressing) and I also added mushrooms. The combo of flavors in this dish is excellent!!!!!! I will save this as a favorite. Thank you:)

I tried making this for a party at home. It is really easy and all who love salad raved about it. The variations I made was adding sun dried tomatoes and using the spiral pasta instead of the bow tie ones. The salad tastes even better the day after. Will definitely do this again :)