This pasta salad with a Greek yogurt dressing is one of my favorite pasta salads. The dressing is so much lighter than mayo based dressings and it’s refreshing and creamy. It’s really quick to make, you just boil the pasta, chop the rest of the ingredients and make the dressing. All in under 30 minutes.
If you are looking for more pasta recipes for gatherings with friends, barbecues or just for a light lunch at home or work then you should check my lemony orzo and feta cheese salad and my easy pasta salad with corn, peas and mayo.
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Why you should try my recipe
- Very easy and quick to make.
- Perfect for a quick lunch and quite filling.
- Use dairy-free yogurt and cream cheese for a vegan option.
- Great for gatherings, barbecues and Thanksgiving.
Ingredients & How-to
The ingredients we are going to use to make this Greek yogurt pasta salad are: short pasta, green onions, bell peppers, pickles, Greek yogurt, cream cheese, dijon mustard, fresh dill and salt & pepper.
01. I fill in a big pot with water and bring it to a boil. I’m using tricolor farfalle pasta but you could use any short pasta you like and have available at home like fussilli or macaroni.
02. While the pasta is boiling, I prepare the rest. I’m using two bell peppers for the salad that I wash, remove the seeds and then dice. I like to use one red and one yellow pepper to add more color to the pasta salad. Then I clean and cut the green onions into slices and the same with the pickles. You could use regular pickles or small ones like I do here.
03. When the pasta is ready, I drain it and then give it a rinse. When we are making a hot pasta dish we don’t rinse the pasta as we want to keep that starch that sticks the sauce to the pasta and makes it nice and creamy. In this case though, if you don’t rinse the pasta, the Greek yogurt dressing will thicken and look more like butter. So trust the process!
04. In a bowl, I add the pasta with the olive oil and give it a mix to coat the pasta so it doesn’t stick together. Then I add the cut peppers, green onion slices, pickles and give it a mix.
05. For the sauce, I mix in a bowl the Greek yogurt, cream cheese, salt, dijon mustard and chopped fresh dill. Instead of cream cheese, you could use ricotta or cottage cheese. I mix everything well and then add the sauce to the pasta.
Substitutions
- You could substitute the Greek yogurt and cream cheese for a vegan one of your choice.
- You could substitute the fresh dill with fresh parsley.
- Instead of green onions, you could use a chopped red onion.
Serving suggestions
We usually have this pasta salad as a side dish with our main or as a light lunch on its own. It’s also perfect for barbecues and little gatherings with friends and family.
Storage
If you have any leftovers of the Greek dressing pasta salad then you should store it in the fridge and consume it within 4 days.
FAQ
Any type of short pasta is good for pasta salads like fusilli, farfalle, macaroni as they get nicely coated with the dressing and you can easily get in one bite a bit of pasta and veggies.
Most pasta salads have a dressing with mayo or yogurt or some type of cheese, so it's recommended to be stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days and can be eaten either cold or at room temperature.
Recipe
Pasta Salad With Greek Yogurt Dressing
This pasta salad with a Greek yogurt dressing is really easy to make and lighter than a mayo-based pasta salad. You could be playful and add more raw veggies to your liking. Serve the pasta salad as a side dish, for lunch or at gatherings with friends or family. Enjoy!
4 servings
15 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups short pasta (fusilli, farfalle, macaroni)
- 2 bell peppers
- 5-6 green onions
- 5-6 small pickles
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- a bunch of fresh dill
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Boil the pasta in a large pot according to package instructions.
- While the pasta is boiling, prepare the veggies. Dice the bell peppers and pickles. Cut the green onions into slices and chop the fresh dill.
- For the dressing, mix the yogurt, cream cheese, mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl.
- When the pasta is ready, drain and rinse it with cold water. Add the pasta to a bowl and drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Add the peppers, pickles and green onions. Mix everything well.
- Add the dressing and mix until all the pasta is coated.
Notes
- You could use dairy-free yogurt and cream cheese for a vegan version of the pasta salad.
- You could use 2 big pickles instead of 5-6 small ones.
Storage
If you have any leftover of the Greek yogurt dressing pasta salad, you should store it in the fridge and consume it within 3-4 days.
Nutrition Info (per serving)
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
