Green Goddess Pasta Salad (Printable)
Vibrant creamy pasta with fresh herbs, crisp veggies, and tangy green goddess dressing—ideal for picnics or light lunches.
# What You'll Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 12 oz short pasta such as fusilli, rotini, or penne
→ Vegetables & Greens
02 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
03 - 1 cup cucumber, diced
04 - 1 cup sugar snap peas, sliced
05 - 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
06 - 2 scallions, thinly sliced
07 - 1 small avocado, diced
→ Green Goddess Dressing
08 - 1/2 cup mayonnaise
09 - 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
10 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
11 - 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
12 - 2 tbsp fresh chives
13 - 2 tbsp fresh tarragon or dill
14 - 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
15 - 1 small garlic clove
16 - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
17 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Garnish
18 - 2 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
19 - Fresh herbs for serving
# Directions:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the short pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water to halt cooking. Set aside to cool completely.
02 - In a blender or food processor, combine mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, parsley, basil, chives, tarragon, lemon juice, garlic, and Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Blend on high until the dressing is smooth and a vibrant green color. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, toss together the cooled pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, sugar snap peas, baby spinach, scallions, and diced avocado.
04 - Pour the green goddess dressing over the pasta and vegetable mixture. Gently toss until every component is evenly coated with dressing.
05 - Transfer to a serving bowl and top with toasted pumpkin seeds and additional fresh herbs. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours to allow the flavors to develop.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The dressing comes together in a blender in under two minutes and tastes like something you would pay sixteen dollars for at a trendy cafe.
- It travels beautifully for potlucks and actually tastes better after sitting in the fridge for an hour, which takes all the stress out of timing.
02 -
- Do not skip rinsing the pasta under cold water because residual heat will continue cooking it and turn your salad into a sticky, soft disappointment.
- Adding the avocado at the last possible moment before serving keeps it bright and cubed rather than brown and smeared.
03 -
- Toasting your seeds in a dry skillet for two to three minutes until they start to pop releases oils you never knew were there and takes ten seconds of effort for a huge flavor payoff.
- Letting the dressed salad rest in the fridge for even thirty minutes before serving allows the pasta to absorb the herbal flavors in a way that immediate serving simply cannot match.