Green Goddess Pasta Salad (Printable)

Bright, creamy pasta tossed with fresh herbs, crisp vegetables, avocado, and toasted seeds for a herb-forward, chilled dish.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz short pasta (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 (optional)

# How To Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the short pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water to halt further cooking. Set aside to drain completely.
02 - While the pasta cooks, combine the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, parsley, basil, chives, tarragon, lemon juice, garlic, and Dijon mustard in a blender or food processor. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Blend on high until the dressing is smooth and uniformly bright green. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, toss together the cooled pasta, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, sugar snap peas, baby spinach, scallions, and 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 the salad to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds and finish with additional fresh herbs if desired. 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 about sixty seconds and tastes like you spent an hour on it.
  • It travels beautifully, making it the dish everyone asks you to bring to potlucks.
  • You can swap almost every vegetable based on whatever is crowding your crisper drawer.
02 -
  • Rinse the pasta thoroughly with cold water or it will continue cooking and turn gummy in the dressing.
  • Dice the avocado right before adding it and toss gently to keep those beautiful green cubes intact.
  • The dressing thickens as it sits in the fridge, so stir in a splash of lemon juice or water if you are serving it the next day.
03 -
  • Toast your pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet for about three minutes until they puff and crackle, and do this right before serving for maximum crunch.
  • If your herbs are looking wilted, soak them in ice water for ten minutes and they will perk right back up for blending.

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