Green Goddess Pasta Salad
Green Goddess Pasta Salad is an easy and fresh pasta salad made with an olive oil based dressing filled with fresh parsley, fresh basil, garlic, and lemon juice. This pasta salad is perfect for a potluck or summer BBQ and can be made in 30 minutes!
When it comes to summer cooking, pasta salad is an entire food group for us. I typically make one large batch of pasta salad at the beginning of the week for us to work through for lunches and easy dinner side dish all week long.
Pasta salads are also great for on-the-go dinners. We have sports and activities multiple nights a week, so I'm constantly packing up picnic dinners and pasta salads are always included. Southwestern Pasta Salad and Deviled Egg Pasta Salad are my kids favorites, but this Green Goddess Pasta Salad is definitely mine!
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Ingredients
- Gemelli Pasta - I love this shape of pasta for pasta salad because the dressing clings to the spirals. If you can't find gemelli, you can use any type of short pasta like penne, elbow, cavatappi, or orzo!
- Fresh Parsley and Basil - these bright and delicious herbs are the main ingredients in the dressing.
- Cucumbers - diced cucumbers add a refreshing crunch and flavor.
- Fresh Garlic - the garlic adds a zip of garlic flavor!
- Lemon Juice - the acidity from lemon juice balances out the olive oil in the dressing and also adds a delicious lemon flavor.
- Walnuts - chopped walnuts add some crunch.
- Feta Cheese - for a tangy and creamy flavor!
How to Make
- Chop up the fresh basil, fresh parsley, and green onions.
- Chop up the cucumbers. You want them to be smaller than the size of the pasta you are using.
3. Add the basil, parsley, green onions, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil to a food processor.
4. Pulse the food processor until the dressing is blended.
5. Cook the pasta according to package directions and then rinse with cold water.
6. In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, chopped cucumbers, walnuts, and dressing and stir to combine.
7. Add the feta cheese and toss gently. Serve and enjoy!
Serving Ideas
This is such a perfect side dish for summer time! It would be delicious with any type of grilled main dish like Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken, Smoked Brats, or Grilled Italian Chicken Breasts.
Recipe FAQ's
Typically green goddess dressing is made with sour cream, herbs, and anchovies, however this one strays from the original. I ditched the sour cream and anchovies and made an olive oil based dressing with parsley, basil, lemon juice, and garlic. It's so full of flavor!
Definitely! You can make the pasta salad entirely one day in advance. The pasta salad should not dry out but if it does, you can just drizzle a little extra olive oil and toss it in.
Yes, this pasta salad is best served cold or at room temperature. It does not have mayonnaise in it, so it will last a little longer at room temperature than a typical pasta salad.
Other pasta salad recipes to consider...
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #greensnchocolate.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces gemelli pasta or any similar short noodle will work
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup chopped basil
- 8 green onions chopped
- juice from 1 lemon
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 English cucumber chopped into small pieces
- ⅔ cups chopped walnuts
- 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boiling. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 11-12 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- While pasta is cooking, make the dressing.
- In a food processor add the olive oil, parsley, basil, green onions, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Pulse until the herbs are finely chopped and it resembles a dressing.
- In a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, cucumbers, walnuts, and dressing. Toss well to combine.
- Add the feta and toss gently to combine.
- Serve topped with additional chopped green onions.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You can prep this up to 1 day in advance. If it dries out at all, drizzle with a little olive oil and toss.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Again, if it seems at all dried out, just drizzle and toss with a little olive oil.
- This is delicious served as a side dish or topped with some grilled chicken or fish.
