Spring green goddess pasta (Printable Version)

Vibrant pasta salad featuring peas, fresh herbs, and creamy green goddess dressing for a light spring meal.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 8 oz short pasta such as fusilli, penne, or farfalle

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
03 - 1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved
04 - 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
05 - 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
06 - 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
07 - 1 small avocado, diced

→ Green Goddess Dressing

08 - 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
09 - 1/4 cup mayonnaise
10 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
11 - 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
12 - 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
13 - 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves
14 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
15 - 1 small garlic clove
16 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
17 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
18 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Garnish

19 - 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
20 - Extra chopped herbs including parsley, chives, and basil

# Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the peas and sugar snap peas. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside to cool completely.
02 - While the pasta cooks, combine Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, parsley, basil, chives, tarragon, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and black pepper in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and vibrant green. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
03 - In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta and peas with cucumber, spinach, spring onions, and diced avocado.
04 - Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat everything evenly, ensuring all ingredients are well combined.
05 - Garnish with toasted pine nuts and extra fresh herbs before serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature as preferred.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in 30 minutes flat, which means you can actually make it on a weeknight instead of just thinking about it.
  • The green goddess dressing is so vibrant and herbaceous that it tastes like you spent way more effort than you actually did.
  • It's naturally light but genuinely satisfying, the kind of meal that doesn't leave you feeling sluggish at 3 p.m.
02 -
  • Don't skip the cold water rinse on the pasta or it'll keep cooking from residual heat and turn into mush that no dressing can save.
  • Make the dressing first while the pasta cooks—this gives the flavors a minute to get to know each other and taste noticeably better.
03 -
  • Toast your own pine nuts in a dry skillet for two minutes—the smell will convince you it was worth it, and they taste infinitely better than the ones from a bag.
  • Make the dressing a day ahead and let it sit in the fridge; the flavors get brighter and more integrated, like they've actually met each other properly.
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