This lightened up, healthier version of the popular summer creamy pasta salad is perfect for the upcoming grilling season, Easter lunches and potlucks. It packs well for picnics and lunches and can be made ahead of time and brought out for the big event.
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Lightened Up Creamy Pasta Salad
In a strange twist, we ended up enjoying this creamy pasta salad as our main dish on Easter Sunday this year. We had friends over for what was supposed to be a super casual dinner on Saturday night...but ended up becoming a bit of a party.
We all slept late on Sunday (turns out that dancing until 10pm will actually make my kids sleep past 5.30 in the morning...about the only thing!), and when we woke on Sunday, everyone was super relaxed. Subsequently, the thought of spending the day in the kitchen cooking up a big ham was not enticing at all and we decided on a picnic instead.
It was actually really lovely, and we enjoyed it so much that I think we will definitely be incorporating more of these little jaunts into our spring and summer weekends.
Get Rid Of The Pre-Packaged Stuff. Homemade Creamy Pasta Salad Is The Way To Go
Every time I ask my husband what he wants to bring for a picnic, his first response is always creamy pasta salad. You know the type, the rich and creamy pasta glug/goodness that comes prepackaged in huge containers at Costco.
It is the ULTIMATE picnic food, and I used to be quite partial to it as well. I stopped buying it years ago though, so poor hubby always makes a bee-line for the big bowls of creamy pasta salad that you know will be at pretty much every BBQ over the spring and summer season.
I finally decided to have a go at making him a homemade version. I wanted to make it taste as close to the store-bought version as possible, because otherwise what's the point, right? It worked out way better than I could have expected, and this will definitely be my go-to creamy pasta salad recipe for the entertaining months to come.
What To Pair Creamy Pasta Salad With
Whether you are planning a little picnic, a family BBQ or a fun Easter brunch this creamy pasta salad should be your new go-to take-along salad. In these situations I like to whip up some of these great recipes as well:
- Homemade Rotisserie Style Chicken;
- Easy Quinoa Salad;
- Ham, Ricotta and Asparagus Pastries;
- and of course some Homemade Watermelon Lemonade.
Happy Eating
xx
Lightened Up Creamy Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry whole wheat rotini pasta the swirly pasta
- 1 1/2 cups greek yoghurt full fat
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup milk (less or more if needed)
- 3 tbsp pickle juice from sweet/spicy pickles to taste
- 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1/3 oz can black olives finely chopped, 6 .
- 5 baby dill pickles diced
- 3 whole green onions sliced finely
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse well under cold water, set aside and allow to cool completely
- In a large bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, red wine vinegar, coconut, sugar, salt, and pepper until well combined. Add in the milk and pickle juice, until the mixture is pourable
- To the yoghurt mixture, add in the chopped red peppers, olives, pickles and green onions. Taste and adjust according to your own likes (i.e. I always add more pickles)
- Once the pasta has cooled completely, add it into the bowl with the other ingredients and stir well. Pop the salad into the fridge and allow to cool for about 2 hours before serving. The longer you leave it, the thicker and creamier the dressing will become
Notes
Nutrition
If you tried this recipe please comment and rate it.
I love hearing your feedback and answering your questions! And if you make this please tag me on Instagram with @wholefoodbellies so I can share it <3
Try some other salads great for potlucks, BBQ's and picnics:
- Radish Pea and Quinoa Shaved Asparagus Salad;
- Summer Stone Fruit and Spinach Salad;
- Garlicky Orange Spinach Salad.
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Levi Long says
Great way to get some yummy, crunchy veggies in everyone!
Donna says
Definitely!! Even picky eaters tend to eat this one up 🙂
molly says
Wooow, I can't wait to try it, Thanks for sharing....
Eleonora says
Looks so creamy... 🙂
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen says
I love a good pasta salad! The addition of dill pickles here is so fun!
Donna1 says
Thanks Ashley! We love adding dill pickles to everything - so yummy 🙂
Uma Srinivas says
I like pasta salad . This looks creamy and delicious:)
Donna1 says
Thanks Uma 🙂
Linda @ Veganosity says
Dancing at a casual dinner party at home, yay! I love it when that happens. 🙂 Creamy pasta salad with veggies sounds like a wonderful Easter meal. This looks delicious.
Donna1 says
Me too 🙂 It's definitely not a traditional Easter meal, but it worked for us!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Homemade is the way to go, and looks like you've proved it! This salad looks really creamy and delicious! Isn't it fun, too, to come up with new holiday traditions (whether by accident or not)!
Donna1 says
Homemade is definitely the way to go 🙂 Yes I am loving coming up (accidentally or otherwise) with new traditions for our little family!!
Jenn says
Creamy pasta salad is totally the best! I am LOVING all the pickles/pickle juice in here. YUM!
Donna1 says
Oh I am totally obsessed with pickles!!
Kelly @ TastingPage says
Homemade is always better than store bought. Love this salad for summer!
Donna1 says
I agree Kelly 🙂
Aimee / Wallflower Kitchen says
This looks SO creamy and delicious! I never would have thought of using yoghurt, I might have to try this with soy yoghurt.
Donna1 says
I am sure it would be great! I toyed with making a vegan version - but I only had coconut yoghurt on hand, and I was pretty sure that flavour would not be wonderful with the pickle juice 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Love a great easy (and creamy) pasta dish!
Donna1 says
Me too 🙂
Deb|EastofEdenCooking says
Love the idea of a lighter version of this classic pasta salad! i prefer to make my own salad too. So mush fresher and we can use the ingredients we know and enjoy!
Donna1 says
Thanks Deb! Definitely on board the homemade train, especially when it comes to freshness - who knows how long that store bought stuff has been sitting there?
Hannah Grinnell says
Is it possible to use low fat or no fat greek yogurt for this recipe, or will it change the texture too much?
Donna says
It should be just fine! It may make it a little less creamy but the taste will still be there.