Green Goddess Pasta Salad

Green Goddess Pasta Salad with tangy clean herbal notes is an easy variation on old-school macaroni salad with a creamy dressing. 

This pasta salad contains tender pasta, juicy tomatoes, salty olives, and sweet green peas tossed in the famous Green Goddess dressing that has a tangy flavor and a vibrant green color

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Even better, this delicious pasta salad is made in minutes and is the perfect side dish for busy days, hot summer days, or a summer BBQ because it goes so well with grilled foods, sandwiches, and baked chicken and fish.

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Works
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• What to Serve with Green Goddess Pasta Salad
• My Top Tip
• Substitutions & Variations
• Recipe FAQs
• More Delicious Salads
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Why This Recipe Works

Sometimes I need a bright and fresh taste on the table and this pasta salad is what I make. It is the perfect twist when you want to shake up and freshen up creamy macaroni salad.

To me, the best pasta salad has a small variety of ingredients that play well off each other. So, I keep this salad simple with just 4 ingredients, cooked pasta, sweet cherry tomatoes, salty black olives, and green peas plus the dressing which is the star of this dish.

The iconic Green Goddess Dressing contains mayonnaise, sour cream, fresh parsley, and chives with lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce which makes a tangy herbal dressing bursting with flavor.

With its sweet, salty, creamy, and tangy flavors, this could be your new favorite pasta salad.

So, let's cook!

Ingredients

Here's what you need to make this green goddess pasta salad recipe:

• Cooked Pasta - Any shaped or tubular pasta will work like farfalle, rotini, penne, ditalini, orecchiette, small shells, or Gemelli pasta.
• Green Goddess Salad Dressing - I like to make my own, but you can use your favorite brand.
• Green Peas - Thawed, frozen peas are the best for making salads. They are perfectly safe to eat without cooking and have a fresh sweet taste.
• Sliced Black Olives - These are canned and already sliced black olives.
• Halved Cherry Tomatoes - Very small cherry tomatoes distribute evenly through the salad and bring bright acidity and color to the salad mixture.

Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Cook the pasta in a pot of salted water to al dente according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and rinse it with cold water. Put the cooled pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Add green goddess salad dressing and gently stir to thoroughly coat the pasta.

Gently fold in peas, sliced black olives, and halved cherry tomatoes.

Spoon the pasta salad into a serving bowl. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

My Top Tip

♡ Pasta typically absorbs mayonnaise-based dressings over time. If making this salad several hours before serving, check the salad for dryness at serving time and add additional salad dressing, cream, or milk as needed to moisten the salad.

Substitutions & Variations

• Add Marinated Artichokes - Chopped marinated artichokes are super delicious and a great addition to this salad. You can add up to 1 cup.
• Add Cheese - Some people like cheese in this salad. You can add up to 1 cup of shredded cheese. Good choices are white cheeses like Monterey Jack and Swiss.
• Substitute Sun-Dried Tomatoes - If small cherry tomatoes are not available you can substitute oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes that have been thoroughly drained, chopped, or sliced.
• Substitute Tortellini - Instead of plain pasta, you can substitute cheese tortellini to make a Green Goddess Tortellini Salad.
• Add Feta Cheese - Cubes of creamy feta cheese are a delicious addition to this pasta salad.
• Add Nuts - If you love a little crunch in your salad you can add chopped pecans or pine nuts.
• Add Cooked Chicken - To turn this into a main course salad add 2 cups of cooked chicken that is diced or shredded on top of the pasta salad.

More Delicious Salads

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