Introducing the ultimate game-changer for boring regular pasta salads – the Green Goddess Pasta Salad recipe! After we fell in love with the Green Goddess Salad by Melissa we decided to try a variation on the normal pasta salad recipes and go green using the dressing she created that went viral.
So brace yourself for a tangy burst of flavor, a hint of sweetness, and a delightful crunch combined with your favorite pasta , all enveloped in a refreshing creaminess of Green Goddess Salad dressing that will leave you craving for more.
Plus with it’s a unique, gorgeous vibrant green color we think that no one will be able to resist popping a spoonful onto their plate at your next Summer BBQ. Well we can’t anyway.
If you love the versatility of pasta salads then we think you might also love our Mexican Pasta Salad with Lime Vinaigrette Dressing.
Why You’ll Love This Green Goddess Pasta Salad
We think you’re going to be dazzled by this slightly different take on the usual pasta salad recipes.
- It’s all in the dressing which takes this pasta salad to the next level – full of herbs like fresh basil and parsley combined with Greek yogurt, lime juice, cashews and green onions (shallots)
- Vibrant green in colour – makes this literally a really green pasta salad
- Loaded with fresh vegetables – cherry tomatoes, broccoli, bell peppers (red capsicum) and celery
- An easy recipe for meal prep.
- Can be made into a vegan dressing recipe easily by substituting the Greek yoghurt for creamy avocado
Ingredients for the best pasta salad.
Pasta – Shells were used for this recipe and generally smaller ones work better than long noodle types.
Celery – adds that crunchy element to give this salad nice texture.
Red capsicum – vibrant colour and of course crunch too. Yellow capsicum will work just fine.
Broccoli – tiny florets of vibrant green broccoli give this salad texture while hiding them from the kids as well.
Shallots – nice zingy-ness without the sharpness and of course they’re green as well!
Pine nuts – these very nutritious babies add that little bit of nuttiness’ and crunch especially after being lightly toasted
What Type of Pasta Can I Use For This Salad?
Ok…. the list is endless when it comes to pasta shapes the list is endless. This recipe we used shells which were lovely in scooping up all that delicious Green Goddess Dressing, though think the Fusilli, the delightful corkscrew pasta, is an awesome choice.
Also the Cavatappi which is a hollow spiral noodle would be fine too along with the elbows and of course Penne.
What is Green Goddess Dressing Made of?
This is a variation on the original (and viral) Green Goddess recipe from Baked by Melissa. Her dressing is actually vegan, tangy and of course divine. (full recipe here). We’ve just tweaked it (a little) by adding the Greek yoghurt and honey to make our own green goddess version and tones down the tanginess.
Liquid Ingredients – add these first into the blender to ensure they get mixed really well.
Lime Juice – Nice and zesty.
Honey – this is our addition to give it just the right amount of sweetness
Olive Oil – We used the lighter version of olive oil but feel free to use grapeseed or normal extra virgin olive oil.
Greek Yoghurt – Add a creamy element to the dressing but without taking over.
Rice Wine Vinegar – light but with just the right amount of zing for a salad.
Add the rest of the ingredients on top of the liquid ingredients.
Basil Leaves – we picked ours straight from the garden but feel free to use a bunch from the supermarket. Or try baby spinach leaves if you have them on hand.
Parsley Leaves – Yet another green element that makes this salad so vibrant.
Cashews – These blitz up lovely in the blender but can be optional if you prefer
Garlic – fresh clove though it’s optional if your prefer not to.
Salt and Pepper – just a pinch of each to season
What Does Green Goddess Dressing Taste Like?
Green goddess dressing is bursting with flavor! It’s a party in your mouth with zesty lemon juice, fresh herbs, freshy Greek yoghurt, a handful of cashews blitzed into a vibrant creamy and green dressing. We’ve used this on our other Green Goddess Salad recipe here and works so well with the cabbage, cucumber shallots and chives too.
How to Make Green Goddess Pasta Salad
STEP 1. Pop your pasta into salted boiling water and cook as per instructions on the packet. Strain in a colander and run under cold water.
STEP 2. Blanch the broccoli florets for 5 minutes in boiling water and then place into iced water for 5 minutes. (this keeps them nice and green).
STEP 3. Toast the pine nuts for a few minutes till golden brown.
Step 4. Finely dice the spring onions, red capsicum and celery and combine them in a large bowl along with the cooled cooked pasta, pine nuts and broccoli.
How To Make Your Green Goddess Dressing
STEP 1. Place all the liquid ingredients into the blender first.
STE[ 2. Then top with the remaining ingredients and blitz till combined, runny and creamy. It will be a gorgeously green in colour.
Substitutions and Additions For This Pasta Salad
The substitutions for this salad are many.
- Corn kernels, chives, peas, green beans, asparagus, snow peas, cherry tomatoes and sugar snap peas.
- Crispy bacon pieces will give this an added va va voom!
- Change the pasta for Gluten Free Pasta.
Dressing substitutions
- For the dressing you can use baby spinach instead of the basil or parsley leaves.
- Swap out the Greek yoghurt for sour cream.
- Lemon or lime juice but be used but be careful to test as the lemon juice can often be a little tangier.
- Add the nuts of your choice or a mixture. Walnuts & cashews combo.
- Leave out the cashews if you prefer a nut free dressing.
- Add poached or roast chicken to make this more of a main meal.
If you are short on time you can buy a pre-made Green Goddess Dressing version from most supermarkets these days.
Honestly it’s so simple. You can swap out the salad ingredients for what you prefer or have on hand at home. After boiling the pasta all you need to do is chop up the other ingredients (if using broccoli just a blanching is fine) and throw the dressing ingredients into a blender or whiz and voila you’re done!
There are no hard and fast rules to this salad. Feel free to make this your own.
Can I Whip up this Green Goddess Pasta Salad ahead of time!
Absolutely! Prepare this delicious pasta salad ahead of time and it will be fine in the fridge for up to 2 days!
Storage
Store the Green Goddess Salad in the fridge for up to 1 week in an airtight container. Or keep all the salad ingredients separate from the dressing and mix just before serving to keep it ultra fresh and yummy.
Rate the recipe
I hope you love this Green Goddess Pasta Salad! If you make it, be sure to leave a rating so I know how you liked it!
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Recipe Card
Brace yourself for a tangy burst of flavor, a hint of sweetness, and a delightful crunch combined with your fave pasta, all enveloped in a refreshing creaminess of a Green Goddess Salad dressing that will leave you craving for more.
- 250 gm dry pasta
- 1 red capsicum (or bell pepper)
- 2 stalks of celery
- ¼ cup pine nuts toasted (optional)
- 1 head of broccoli
- 4 green shallots
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
- 2 tabs lime juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup Greek yoghurt plain
- 1 tab honey
- 1 tab rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup cashews raw
- 1 clove of garlic
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp fresh black pepper
- water to thin if necessary
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Place the pasta into salted boiling water and cook per instructions on the packet. When cooked, drain and rinse with cold water and allow to drain completely.
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Cut the broccoli into florets and blanch in hot water for 5 minutes till firm but tender or microwave them if you prefer. Pop into iced water after cooking for 5 minutes, drain to remove all the water.
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Dice the celery, red capsicum and finely chop the shallots.
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Toast the pine nuts till just golden brown. (be careful they burn really quickly)
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Pop all the ingredients into a large bowl and make the dressing.
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Into your blender pour all the liquid ingredients, olive oil, yoghurt, vinegar, honey and lime juice.
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Then pop all the other ingredients on top and blitz till combined and looks creamy.
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Pour over the bowl of salad ingredients and mix till the green dressing coats everything. Serve and eat asap.
- The salad is lovely served straight away. After it goes into the fridge the dressing tends to soak into the salad and it may become stiff. Add a little olive oil if you like to loosen it up or leave out of the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Swap out the fresh basil for spinach leaves if you prefer.
- To make this dressing vegan use the original recipe which has nutritional yeast and omit the yoghurt and honey.
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