Green Goddess Pasta Salad Recipe (2024)

Question: which type of tortellini- my store carries dried, refrigerated and frozen. Which is best for this recipe? Anxious to try it!

Why? The recipe is great as written. I personally do not find cream cheese as a good pairing with cheese tortellini, would not sub either of those vinegars for lemon in this flavor profile, and believe the sweetness of the peas adds a balance to everything else in the mix; asparagus and peas are frequently paired for a reason. Ms Clarke is an accomplished pro cook: she did everything in this delish salad for a reason. Ummmm .... did you try it? It is excellent!

We added blanched asparagus and crispy prosciutto and lemon zest

Variations. For half the sour cream, use cream cheese, which clings well both to greens and pasta. For the peas, use thin haricots verts, blanched one minute, and halved. For the arugula, use baby spinach. For the lemon juice, white or cider vinegar. To add crunch, garnish with slivered almonds.

The dressing is the key. Made this following the recipe but using half a box of cavatelli the first night and had leftover sauce which went on grilled meat and vegetables the next day. Made it again but added the aging avocado on the counter and some leftover feta from the fridge. Great easy recipe base with lots of variations for using up extra herbs, cheese, vegetables. A keeper.

In reading this recipe, I would think that refrigerated or frozen tortellini would be best.

Halved this for 2 people - we easily have enough for 4 more servings! Made as is, with 2% Greek yogurt, and it was DELICIOUS. Fresh, summery, substantial (served with a little rotisserie chicken for more protein). Will use the dressing on LOTS of things, and this will be a standard this summer!

We enjoyed this fresh new take on pasta salad! I ended up doubling the lemon juice and used up the packages of basil, parsley, and chives (so maybe double the herbs?) but what a flavorful salad!

I’ve made this a few times now, as directed in the recipe. It’s excellent, as-is, but I add a little lemon zest and bit more lemon juice than called for (maybe 1/2 T??) to give it a little more brightness. Also, since I find snap peas to be a PITA, and a little tough this time of year, I’ve subbed in frozen peas and/or halved cherry tomatoes.

Fresh is always best. But dried will work when time and/or budgets don’t permit. Frozen is better than dried only because sometimes the dried tortellinis don’t always cook up tender or have enough stuffing, IMO.

WendyKFor these kinds of recipes, I always just use the packages in the refrigerated section. They cook a bit faster than frozen. However, if you have frozen it just needs to cook longer, no biggie. Im not a fan of the dried shelf stable tortellini because I feel the fillings taste kinda funky, being they are made to be shelf stable. Hope this helps!

Spinach instead of arugula, briefly blanched, for dressing used half cream cheese (as previously suggested in notes), Greek yogurt had turned, so used a bit of leftover tzatziki. Garlic forward but we are OK with that. Flake salt at end. M-wah!

I like to look at the suggested variations, especially in the current climate where we may not have what a recipe calls for at hand and may not be able to get it. Happy to have suggestions from creative cooks that like the results!

I made this with dill and omitted the fennel (not a fan). I also substituted blanched asparagus for the snap peas and baby greens for the arugula because I had them on hand. Everyone raved. Perfect summer dish.

I've been meaning to make this avocado-based green goddess dressing - it might be a nice substitute for the dressing in Melissa's version.https://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/green-goddess-avocado-sauce

Party winner. I would drink the dressing. Seriously. Great for cookouts as a hearty side. I go heavier on garlic & the longer it sits, the drier it gets- extra dressing on the side to add is a good idea. Don’t skip the lemon. Lastly I will say, the idea that this takes 20 minutes is an inexcusable lie. Still, it’s straightforward & worthwhile.

There is no way that the picture shown has 20 oz of tortellini and only 1 cup of arugula. Even if it’s one portion, it looks like there is at least a cup of arugula and a lot more snap peas than would be in a serving. I think the vegetables need to be doubled or tripled.

I blanched the snap peas for one minute before running them under cold water and was not sorry. Also overdid it on the garlic, used two fat cloves, which made it a little too sharp. Very good salad!

I used half the pasta, so it was more salad forward. I actually thought the pasta/salad ratio was better this way.

This was really good, but I think it could use a little umami. I might add some capers or mashed anchovies next time.

Im not a purist: Added spinach to both the dressing and salad, sautéed some zucchini with more garlic and the whites of the onion, also added mozzarella for some protein. Used plain yogurt. Had three partial boxes of penne and rotini so I used those. I forgot to buy fennel. IMO this is endlessly customizable and will be delicious almost regardless. I could also see sun-dried tomato also being good with this.

Really good. I did fennel fronds AND dill because why not. In the future, I would sub blanched asparagus for the snap peas.

Turns out my family does not like fennel, and my grocery store does not carry chives right now. Some modifications I made:- Sub fennel sprigs for more parsley- Sub fennel bulb for more peas- Add dash of dried tarragon- Add parmesan- Sub chives for more garlic

So good! Only 1 clove garlic

Chickpeas in place of pasta, delicious.

I do not like any licorice taste, since childhood. Is there another herb I should use?

I used 3/4 c. sour cream and 1/4 c. 2% Greek yogurt (because that's all we have here unless I buy a quart.) I know I'm probably in the minority, but I miss the 'round full' flavor that a good mayo would impart. I added marinated artichoke hearts, blanched bits of green beans and asparagus, and I added the pop of some halved kalamata olives. I cooked 6 oz of cavatapi and it would be enough to serve 6-8 of us.

Keeper. Made for 4 with leftovers. Used TJs refrigerated cheese tortellini--which was great in this. Had feta on table for those who wanted to add. Added some rice wine vinegar to dressing (based on son's suggestion) instead of adding more lemon at the end. Used dill instead of fennel fronds (as Clark suggests)--we love dill in any case. The green goddess dressing reminds me of a twist on a Persian herby salad--just blitzed instead of simply being cut up. Used more snap peas--yummy.

Anyone make this a day or 2 ahead of time? Think it will hold up?

This was delicious I didn’t use tortellini I used plain rotini pasta and it was still delicious! All the flavors came together really nicely I also use sour cream but next time I’m going to try the Greek yogurt because I think I would like the tartness. I also used a ton of arugula because I like it and I just I balled the other ingredients more or less and it came together nicely..