This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission.
We all need a variety of salads for the BBQ and picnic season and my Green Goddess Pasta Salad recipe is sure to become a firm favourite. Creamy but fresh with a beautiful peppery kick!
For another use of this delicious dressing, try Fingerling Potato Salad with Green Goddess Dressing!
I feel spoiled by the weather we’ve been having lately. Warm and sunny. You might be rolling your eyes thinking how silly this is but trust me…when you live in London it’s pure luxury.
With the warming temperatures comes a desire to eat a bit lighter. Heavy dishes are out and light, full of flavour, vegetables and herbs dishes are in!
That’s how it should be, right? I feel like my entire body is rising against anything we had been eating all winter. That includes apples, oranges, butternut squash, even broccoli!
I feel like I need to give room to ripe and juicy tomatoes, fresh peppers and loads and loads of herbs! In other words everything green, red and orange.
Pasta salad
But we also need something substantial. Here is where pasta comes in. I heavily rely on pastas during the autumn and winter seasons and I feel like it’s a great option for the summer as well.
But of course, recipes require a bit of tweaking. We all know that pasta needs a lot of flavour infused into it to come alive. This is where many pasta salads fail in my opinion.
Most pasta salad recipes use mayonnaise as the dressing, which doesn’t carry enough flavour on its own. So my solution is to cram that dressing full of herbs for maximum depth and fullness of taste.
What dressing can accomplish that? Why I am glad you asked. Green Goddess dressing of course!
Green goddess dressing
My first introduction to the magical green goddess dressing happened years ago. It came in a bottle and looked and tasted much less vibrant than the one above. But it still was delicious enough for me to notice and remember!
I wish I knew back then I didn’t have to pay $5-$6 per bottle to enjoy this green goddess dressing in my salads because it’s so easy to make at home. All you need is a This is an affiliate link.food processor or a blender.
Just 5 minutes of your precious time and you have two jars full of delicious homemade green goddess dressing that will last you for a couple of weeks.
Green goddess dressing that will taste fresh and punchy, made without preservatives and artificial colours because it doesn’t need any help. Just look at how vibrant it is!
Salad ingredients
This recipe for green goddess pasta salad is a very simple one. It’s barely a recipe. You can add anything you like to this pasta salad. As long as all ingredients are coated in my magic green goddess dressing they will taste sublime.
Naturally I chose the ingredients that I love and they happen to work very well together. You can shuffle things around but no matter what you do, keep the arugula, or rocket for the Brits. It adds a much needed spicy, peppery balance to an otherwise quite creamy dish.
Storage and leftovers
Pasta salads are fantastic for making ahead. You can pull the whole thing together and let it wait in the fridge until it’s needed. It’ll store in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container for up to 4 days, but I prefer to eat it within 1-2.
The dressing is worth keeping around too. If you make any extra, store in another container or jam jar for up to 4 days. The flavours will meld even more, making the dip even more tasty. It’s a fantastic snack with crudites! This isn’t one to freeze, though, due to the dairy in it!
More inspiring summer salads
Green Goddess Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Green Goddess Dressing
- 1 cup / 250g mayonnaise
- 4-5 green onions, white and green parts
- 1 cup / 30g fresh basil leaves
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 anchovies
- 1/2-1 tsp salt, adjust to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2/3 cup / 175g sour cream
For the Pasta Salad
- 200g / 7oz short pasta such as fusilli or riccioli, boiled al dente
- 1 cup / 200g cherry tomatoes, red and yellow
- 1 cup / 100g marinated artichokes
- 1 yellow or red pepper, chopped
- 1/4 cup / 4 tbsp black olives, pitted
- 1 cup / 200g small mozzarella balls
- 2 cups / 50g arugula/rocket
- 2 tbsp salad cress or any other micro herbs, optional
Instructions
For the Green Goddess Dressing
- Combine all ingredients but sour cream and salt in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Stir in sour cream and salt to taste.
- Set aside until needed. You will need 1/2 cup of the recipe for the pasta salad. Store the rest in the refrigerator up to 1 week.
For the Pasta Salad
- Cook short pasta al dente according to package instructions. Drain and rinse, set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl combine halved cherry tomatoes, chopped peppers, halved or quartered marinated artichokes, olives and arugula. Add cooled pasta to the bowl, then add 1/2 cup of the green goddess dressing and salad cress if using. Mix gently.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
can you please help with 2 questions?
1. the photo appears to include kalamata, but the recipe calls for black pitted. they have very different flavors, so I wanted to check which one to use.
2. if made in advance, do you wait to add the arugula b4 serving, so the greens don’t wilt?
I used Kalamata olives but any olives can be used depending on your preference and availability. I would add the greens right before serving.