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Home » Lightened Up Creamy Pasta Salad

Lightened Up Creamy Pasta Salad

April 14, 2016 by Donna1 19 Comments

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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 the 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.

Lightened Up Summer Creamy Pasta Salad

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 his 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 summer.

Lightened Up Summer Creamy Pasta Salad

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 whats 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.

Lightened Up Summer Creamy Pasta Salad

 

0 from 0 votes
Lightened Up Summer Creamy Pasta Salad
Print
Lightened Up Creamy Pasta Salad
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 
This lightened up, healthier version on the popular summer creamy pasta salad is perfect for the upcoming grilling season and summer potlucks.
Course: Pasta
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 serves
Calories: 80 kcal
Author: Whole Food Bellies
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
  1. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse well under cold water, set aside and allow to cool completely
  2. 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
  3. 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)
  4. 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
Recipe Notes

Make sure you allow to cool before serving, or it won't be creamy enough.

Nutrition Facts
Lightened Up Creamy Pasta Salad
Amount Per Serving
Calories 80 Calories from Fat 22
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2.4g 4%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 1mg 0%
Sodium 320mg 13%
Total Carbohydrates 12.1g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0.9g 4%
Sugars 3.2g
Protein 2.6g 5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

Lightened up creamy pasta salad. The perfect salad to bring along to a bbq or potluck this summer

 

This lightened up, healthier version on the popular summer creamy pasta salad is perfect for the upcoming grilling season and summer potlucks.
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Filed Under: 30 Mins, All Recipes, On The Go, One Pot, Pasta, Salads, Side Dishes, Spring Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: bbq, creamy, creamy pasta, grilling season, healthier, lightened up, low fat, pasta, pasta salad, picnic, portable, side dish, summer salad, vegetables, vegetarian

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Comments

  1. Eleonora says

    May 6, 2017 at 5:25 am

    Looks so creamy… 🙂

    Reply
  2. Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen says

    May 2, 2017 at 5:40 pm

    I love a good pasta salad! The addition of dill pickles here is so fun!

    Reply
    • Donna1 says

      May 3, 2017 at 1:39 pm

      Thanks Ashley! We love adding dill pickles to everything – so yummy 🙂

      Reply
  3. Uma Srinivas says

    April 20, 2016 at 3:54 pm

    I like pasta salad . This looks creamy and delicious:)

    Reply
    • Donna1 says

      April 21, 2016 at 8:16 pm

      Thanks Uma 🙂

      Reply
  4. Linda @ Veganosity says

    April 20, 2016 at 7:24 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Donna1 says

      April 21, 2016 at 8:17 pm

      Me too 🙂 It’s definitely not a traditional Easter meal, but it worked for us!

      Reply
  5. Jenn says

    April 19, 2016 at 7:43 pm

    Creamy pasta salad is totally the best! I am LOVING all the pickles/pickle juice in here. YUM!

    Reply
    • Donna1 says

      April 21, 2016 at 8:17 pm

      Oh I am totally obsessed with pickles!!

      Reply
  6. Patricia @ Grab a Plate says

    April 19, 2016 at 3:49 pm

    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)!

    Reply
    • Donna1 says

      April 19, 2016 at 4:53 pm

      Homemade is definitely the way to go 🙂 Yes I am loving coming up (accidentally or otherwise) with new traditions for our little family!!

      Reply
  7. Kelly @ TastingPage says

    April 18, 2016 at 3:08 pm

    Homemade is always better than store bought. Love this salad for summer!

    Reply
    • Donna1 says

      April 19, 2016 at 4:53 pm

      I agree Kelly 🙂

      Reply
  8. Aimee / Wallflower Kitchen says

    April 18, 2016 at 9:05 am

    This looks SO creamy and delicious! I never would have thought of using yoghurt, I might have to try this with soy yoghurt.

    Reply
    • Donna1 says

      April 19, 2016 at 4:54 pm

      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 🙂

      Reply
  9. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

    April 18, 2016 at 8:33 am

    Love a great easy (and creamy) pasta dish!

    Reply
    • Donna1 says

      April 19, 2016 at 4:54 pm

      Me too 🙂

      Reply
  10. Deb|EastofEdenCooking says

    April 17, 2016 at 3:05 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Donna1 says

      April 19, 2016 at 4:55 pm

      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?

      Reply

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About Whole Food Bellies

Hi, I'm Donna. Welcome to my happy little virtual farmer's market. I would love it if you joined me on a journey of creating happy people and happier bellies by cutting down on the processed foods in our diets, and indulging instead in delicious whole foods.

I focus on fast, easy and seasonal dishes the whole family will love - kid approved of course! Healthy and wholesome doesn't have to be boring!

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