This Easy Green Goddess Pasta Salad Is the Perfect Summer Side Dish
All we can say is: yum!
Green goddess dressing is the definition of summer. The light and tangy flavor and gorgeous green color make it stand out alongside others, so it's a dressing that's worth making at home. Whether you're adding it to a salad or using it as a dip, there are so many ways you can enjoy its brightness.
Yumna Jawad (@feelgoodfoodie) posted a new, genius way to get your green goddess fix this summer: green goddess pasta salad.
"If you liked the viral green goddess salad from last summer, bring it back this summer with this pasta version with a creamy feta green goddess dressing," Jawad writes in the caption of her Instagram video.
Related: A Protein-Packed Pasta Sauce Made with Cottage Cheese? Yes, Really!
The recipe is incredibly easy to make, and Jawad provides a step-by-step guide and ingredient list in her video. First, she brings a pot of salted water to a boil before adding the pasta of her choice. For pasta salads, we love shapes like penne and farfalle that will carry the dressing with each bite. Cook the pasta based on its package instructions until it's al dente. While saving the pasta water, drain the pasta and transfer it to a large bowl to cool.
Then, Jawad adds the frozen peas and the asparagus to the same pot of boiling water, cooking for about 2 to 3 minutes until the vegetables slightly soften and brighten up. Rinse the veggies with cold water, then add them to the cooked pasta. Before making the dressing, Jawad adds chopped green onions and half of a 6-ounce container of feta cheese to the bowl.
The dressing ingredients—baby spinach, fresh basil, chopped red onion, 2 garlic cloves, cashews, lemon juice, olive oil and the rest of the container of feta cheese—are added to a blender or food processor and blended together until smooth. Once creamy and bright green, pour the dressing over the pasta mixture and toss until all ingredients are combined.
Jawad suggests that you can serve this immediately or you can refrigerate for 30 minutes before diving in. Either way, this dish is simple to prepare, and it can pair well with your favorite grilled mains.
If you're looking for a main dish with similar flavors, try our Green Goddess Ricotta Pasta. We also love these old-fashioned pasta salads with a nostalgic flair.
