Easy cold Pasta Salad with Green Goddess Dressing is a simple, light summer meal recipe and it’s perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.
This easy, creamy pasta salad would also be great for lunch, and it would be awesome for a picnic or even to take to a neighborhood cookout or barbecue.
This yummy pasta salad is loaded with fresh cherry tomatoes, salty bacon, and a surprise ingredient, tangy goat cheese. And, as if that wasn’t enough deliciousness, it’s topped with a flavorful green goddess dressing filled with fresh, pungent basil and parsley.
Pasta Salad with Green Goddess Dressing only takes minutes to prepare and is one of those dishes that is even better the next day. This pasta dish is also versatile, and you could easily add some additional fresh veggies to ramp up the nutritional value.
Or, if you are really short on time, you could substitute purchased prepared ranch or Italian dressing, for the green goddess dressing. Another option would be to add an avocado to the green goddess dressing, which would really send it over the top!
If you like this recipe, you might also like these delicious and easy salad recipes: Summer Garden Pasta Salad, Shrimp Cobb Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing, Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad.
The ingredients for this Pasta Salad are simple and include pasta, olive oil, regular or cherry tomatoes, bacon and fresh basil. The Green Goddess dressing ingredients include mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, anchovy paste, scallions, garlic, basil, parsley, lemon juice, kosher salt, and pepper.
When you are ready to make this delicious Pasta Salad with Green Goddess Dressing, gather your ingredients.
How to make Cold Pasta Salad
Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package to the al dente stage and drain.
Cook bacon until brown and crispy and drain. Chop.
Add pasta, tomatoes, goat cheese, basil, and bacon to a large bowl along with 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss gently. Set aside.
How to make Green Goddess Dressing
To make the Green Goddess Dressing add all dressing ingredients to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
How to assemble Pasta Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Add one cup dressing to the pasta salad and toss gently. Reserve the remaining dressing and add if the pasta salad looks dry before serving.
Store the pasta salad covered in the refrigerator.
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Pasta Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Ingredients
Pasta Salad Ingredients:
- 16 ounces uncooked pasta (I used Torcetti, but you can use whatever pasta you like.)
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes sliced or 3 large regular tomatoes cut into cubes
- 8 slices bacon
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Green Goddess Dressing Ingredients:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 Tbsp anchovy paste
- 1 garlic clove minced or 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley
- 1 scallion white and green parts, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
Instructions
Pasta Salad Directions:
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package to the al dente stage and drain.
- Cook bacon until brown and crispy and drain. Chop.
- Add pasta, tomatoes, goat cheese, basil, and bacon to a large bowl along with 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss gently. Set aside.
Green Goddess Dressing Directions
- Add all dressing ingredients to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
Assembly
- Add one cup dressing to the pasta salad and toss gently. Reserve the remaining dressing and add if the pasta salad looks dry before you serve it. Store covered in the refrigerator.
This pasta makes me hungry! I would totally have it for dinner!
Thanks Lryna! It is great for a light dinner!
I love fresh tomatoes with pasta – the green goddess dressing sounds like a great addition!
I love the green goddess dressing. Look at all of that flavor in there. It gives some real attitude to the dish. A very nice job.