Green Goddess Pasta Salad
If you are looking for a delicious pasta salad, this is it! It is simple to make and comes together quickly.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- ½-3/4 cup dry pasta of choice
- 6 cups vegetables of choice I used asparagus, broccoli, cucumbers,green peas, spinach, and artichoke hearts. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Read below for prepping ideas.
Dressing
- 1 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt, or full fat
- 2 tablespoons mayo This isn't a must, but I think it makes the dressing so much creamier
- 1- 1 ¼ cup fresh herbs of choice I used a mix of basil, thyme, and parsley
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bring 8 cups of water to a boil.
- Add your pasta and 1 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water. Mix occasionally until the pasta is cooked al dente- you don't want mushy pasta.
- While the pasta is cooking, cut asparagus into 2-3 inch pieces, making sure to cut off the tough ends. Drizzle with a touch of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet and into the oven for about 5 minutes.
- Drain your pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- I like to blanch my broccoli, but it isn't necessary. If you want to blanch, read along, if not, skip this part. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Fill another medium sized-bowl with about 4 cups with about ½ cup of ice. Add your broccoli florets to the boiling water for about 2 minutes. Drain and quickly place in the ice water for about 5 minutes. Drain well. and maybe even pat dry if you need to.
- Add your ingredients for the dressing in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Just a note- if you like a lot of dressing on your salad, you may want to double this. I go fairly light.
- Place all your ingredients in a large bowl, and mix well. This salad is deliciously served right away but also holds well for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
- Don't overcook the pasta. For the best pasta salad, you'll want to make sure the noodles are al dente.
- Use fresh vegetables. In some recipes, slightly older vegetables will be okay, but with pasta salad, you want to make sure they're fresh for the best texture.
- Feel free to get creative. Adding your favorite fresh herbs, such as chopped chives, or even a splash of lemon juice in the dressing can brighten up the flavor.