This Green Goddess Pasta Salad is made with gluten-free pasta, fresh veggies, and a refreshing vegan green goddess dressing. Quick to prepare, it’s perfect for a summer BBQ, picnics, and meal prep!
This Pasta Salad Tastes Like Summer in a Bowl!
We don’t know about you, but we are always ready for backyard barbecues, picnics, and days spent at the beach! But standing over a hot stove in the kitchen is not exactly how we want to be spending our spring and summer days.
Instead, when the weather gets warm, we find ourselves reaching for quick and refreshing options like our Frozen Fruit Smoothies, Chipotle Peach Salsa, and Gluten-Free Lemon Bars.
While we’ve clearly got breakfast and snacks covered, we sometimes find ourselves stumped when it comes to putting together filling lunches and dinners. So, we came up with this healthy green goddess pasta salad recipe!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Below is an overview of the ingredients and instructions for this green goddess pasta salad recipe. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details and nutrition information including calories, carbohydrates, cholesterol, sodium, etc.
- Pasta – For extra plant protein and fiber, we like to use grain-free chickpea pasta, but any gluten-free pasta you like best will work. Choose small to medium-sized shapes like rigatoni, orecchiette, or shells. Just be sure to cook whatever pasta you choose according to the package instructions!
- Oil – For this recipe, you’ll want to avoid overpowering the ingredient flavors by choosing an oil with a fairly neutral flavor such as olive oil or avocado oil.
- Lemon Juice – This adds a bright, citrusy flavor to the pasta. Freshly squeezed is best!
- Vegan Green Goddess Dressing – This nutritious dressing is the secret to the success of this vegan pasta salad recipe. If you’re short on time, you can typically find a similar version in the dressing aisle of your local grocery store.
- Sugar Snap Peas – Snap peas add an appetizing crunch. If you can’t find snap peas, snow peas, or even chopped zucchini works as well.
- Broccoli – This nutrient-rich veggie is perfect for reducing inflammation as well as providing a vibrant crunch in the salad. For easy eating, choose broccoli florets or chop a broccoli crown into tiny pieces using a good knife.
- Spinach – For a sweeter flavor, we recommend using baby spinach in your pasta salad. Or, opt for a handful of baby arugula to add a bit more bite.
- Toasted Pine Nuts – While optional, pine nuts add an incredible earthy flavor and healthy fats to keep you full. However, if you can’t eat pine nuts, hemp seeds will do the trick!
- Lemon Slices – Technically optional, we love to top our pasta salad with lemon slices for a picture-worthy presentation and an even more vibrant taste.
How to Make Green Goddess Pasta Salad
- Prepare the pasta. Boil the pasta to al dente according to the package instructions. Strain the liquid, and transfer it to a large bowl. Then, drizzle the oil and lemon juice on top while the pasta is warm. Toss to coat.
- Prepare the green goddess dressing. If you are making the homemade version, place the avocado, green onion, parsley, chopped herbs, coconut milk, garlic, lemon juice, and optional tamari in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Add salt and pepper, and blend again. Adjust the seasonings to taste.
Note: For a thinner dressing, drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil into the mixture at a time, blending until the desired consistency is achieved.
- Combine the ingredients. Add the veggies to the bowl of pasta along with the salt, pepper, and green goddess salad dressing. Toss to combine and coat.
- Garnish. Sprinkle the pine nuts on top, and add the lemon slices, if using. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
Serving Suggestions
The truth is, there’s not much you can’t serve with vegan pasta salad. In fact, thanks to the high protein content of chickpea pasta it’s a complete meal all on its own.
However, it’s also great as a side served with items like sandwiches, burgers, wraps, and more. A few of our favorite pairings include our Vegan Greek Quinoa Burgers, Vegan Sandwiches, or Gluten-Free Chickpea Burgers.
Make Ahead and Storage Options
- Store leftover pasta salad in an airtight container for up to two to three days.
- Freeze leftovers for up to three months. Take a look at these tips for freezing pasta salad to keep it fresh!
- Thaw your pasta salad in the fridge overnight. Then, give it a good stir, and enjoy!
Meal Prep Tip: To prepare in advance, chop all the veggies and prepare the dressing. Store them in separate airtight containers in the fridge. Then, cook the pasta, drain the water, toss it with oil, and store it in a third container. When you’re ready to eat, combine all the ingredients, and enjoy!
More of Our Favorite
Gluten-Free Picnic Salad Recipes
Common Questions
Many pre-made green goddess dressings contain ingredients like mayonnaise, sour cream, fresh herbs, anchovy, garlic, and lemon juice. However, our homemade version comes together with avocado, green onion, parsley, fresh herbs, chives, canned coconut milk, garlic, lemon juice, tamari, and olive oil.
Green goddess dressing is light, tangy, and full of herbaceous flavor.
Sure! It won’t be green goddess pasta salad, but feel free to use any dressing you like best. Or, swap it out for pesto instead.
Feel free to mix and match any ingredients you have on hand! Fresh basil leaves, asparagus, green beans, and cherry tomatoes are all great additions. If you don’t need this recipe to be vegan, feel free to add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, too!
Green Goddess Pasta Salad (Gluten-Free) Recipe
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Make this gluten-free green goddess pasta salad recipe with fresh veggies and a homemade dressing for a flavorful vegan side dish or main course!
Ingredients
Green Goddess Dressing (or use store bought)
- ½ ripe medium avocado (50 grams) – see notes*
- ½ cup chopped green onion (green portion)
- ⅓ cup torn flat leaf parsley (some stem is fine)
- 3 Tablespoons torn leafy herbs (such as basil, dill, mint, and/or cilantro)
- 2 Tablespoons chopped chives
- ⅓ cup canned coconut milk or light coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) or coconut aminos.
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Optional – 1 to 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, as needed (see notes)
Pasta
- 14 to 16 ounces gluten free pasta of choice
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¾ cup vegan goddess dressing (see notes for ingredients)
- 1 cup chopped snap peas
- 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
- Handful baby spinach or arugula
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 3 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts or hemp seeds to garnish
- Lemon slices to garnish
Instructions
- To prepare the dressing, place the avocado, green onion, parsley, chopped herbs, coconut milk, garlic, lemon juice, and optional tamari in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Process until smooth and combined. Add salt and pepper and blend again. Season to taste.
- For thinner dressing, drizzle in the olive oil,1 Tablespoon at a time, blend until desired consistency is formed. Add more if needed. Set dressing aside as the pasta cooks.
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Once cooked to al dente, strain from the liquid and add to a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over the warm pasta and toss to evenly coat.
- Add the chopped snap peas, broccoli, spinach and ¾ cup green goddess dressing to the bowl of pasta and toss to coat evenly. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
- Garnishing with pine nuts, hemp seeds, and/or lemon slices. Chill until ready to serve.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
Substitute Tips – If preferred, ¼ to ⅓ cup creamy tahini may be substituted in place of avocado in the dressing. It will create a slightly richer flavor and creamier consistency.
Dressing Tips – The dressing will thicken once chilled in the fridge. Store leftover dressing in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Meal Prep Tips – Cook the pasta then drain the water. Toss the pasta in olive oil then let the pasta completely cool before storing in an airtight container. It’s best to store leftover pasta and dressing separate. Then toss pasta with the dressing and raw vegetables right before serving.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 311
- Sugar: 4.2 g
- Sodium: 305.3 mg
- Fat: 13.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 39 g
- Fiber: 6.8 g
- Protein: 14.6 g
We adored this pasta salad! I made it for a light lunch, but it would be a fabulous side dish also.
I make this on Sunday to have lunch for the week! Delicious!
AWesome! So glad and thanks for feedback Ann!