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This Green Goddess Pasta Salad puts a fresh and herby spin on a summer favorite! Pasta, seasonal vegetables, and chickpeas are tossed in a creamy vegan green goddess dressing, giving you a refreshing side dish in 45 minutes. Vegan, Gluten-Free Option.
This Green Goddess Pasta Salad is the ultimate side dish to bring to all of your spring and summer get-togethers. Al dente pasta is tossed with blanched asparagus, crunchy and refreshing spring vegetables, and garbanzo beans before being drenched in homemade vegan green goddess dressing. There’s no shortage of addictively delicious flavors in this vibrant spring veggie pasta!
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A Greenified Summer Side Dish
Spring and summer? I call that pasta salad season in my house. It doesn’t matter if I’m going to a pool party, celebrating the Fourth of July, or it’s a regular Tuesday; pasta salad is always welcome on the menu!
I’ve played around with a lot of vegan pasta salad recipes over the years, all of which you can find on the blog (have you tried this Mediterranean Chickpea Pasta Salad or this Pesto Orzo Salad yet?). This Vegan Green Goddess Pasta Salad, though, is the only one that captures everything that’s great about spring.
It’s truly the ultimate spring pasta salad recipe, with a ton of seasonal spring vegetables, garbanzo beans, and al dente pasta in every bite. I drenched them all in the star of the show, vegan green goddess dressing, to leave you with layers of herby, refreshing flavors that dance on your tongue.
With only 25 minutes of hands-on cooking time needed, this spring pasta is a must-try warm-weather dish!
Ingredients for Vegan Pasta Salad
Like most of my vegan pasta salad recipes, this herby, veggie-forward version calls for a variety of fresh and shelf-stable ingredients. Here are the key items you need:
- Pasta: ridged or tubed short-cut pasta is best because it scoops up the dressing so well. Use penne, macaroni, farfalle, or another bite-sized pasta you like.
- Asparagus: fresh asparagus is blanched alongside the pasta. The woody ends of the asparagus stalks are a little too tough, so remember to chop them off before you start cooking.
- Green Goddess Dressing: the star of this pasta salad recipe is the homemade green goddess dressing. My vegan-friendly version of this classic herby dressing uses coconut yogurt and olive oil as the base and lots of fresh herbs, garlic, green onions, and lemon juice to give it its signature savory, herby zing.
- Garbanzo Beans: I always love to sneak extra protein into pasta salads and garbanzo beans (or chickpeas) are one of my favorite hearty add-ins. Use canned beans for convenience or cook dry beans from scratch for a little extra flavor.
- Crisp Spring Veggies: this spring pasta recipe wouldn’t be complete without a variety of crispy fresh vegetables! Snap peas, green onions, and extra crunchy Persian cucumbers add sweet and earthy flavors, while a pink watermelon radish lends a gorgeous pop of color. Can’t find watermelon radish? Use red radishes instead.
How to Make a Green Goddess Pasta Salad
- Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Add the asparagus to the water during the final 3 minutes, then drain and rinse both with cold water.
- Meanwhile, blend the pasta salad dressing ingredients together until smooth.
- Add the cooled pasta and asparagus to a large bowl. Combine with the garbanzo beans, snap peas, cucumbers, onions, and radish. Pour the dressing over top and mix until well-coated.
- Divide the pasta salad between bowls and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- To keep the asparagus bright green and crisp: Always “shock” the asparagus with very cold running water immediately after blanching and draining it with the pasta. The water will stop the cooking process and help the asparagus keep its vibrant green color and tender-crisp texture.
- Play around with the herbs: You need a total of 1 ½ cups of fresh herbs for the dressing, but don’t feel like you have to limit yourself! Mix it up and use two or three types instead. I like basil and parsley together, but you could try tarragon + parsley, basil + mint + parsley, or cilantro + basil + parsley.
Serving Suggestions
I’m a huge fan of pasta salad and love serving it as a starter or side dish at barbecues, picnics, or any spring or summer meal. This herby pasta salad pairs especially well with fresh-flavored main dishes, like this Vegan “Chicken” Piccata and this Sheet Pan Tofu with Spring Vegetables. You can’t go wrong with summer classics, too, like these Falafel Burgers and these Roasted Zucchini Sandwiches.
Would you rather serve the pasta salad as a main dish? Go for it! It’s quite filling as-is or you can bulk it up with my Crispy Tofu served on top.
If you’re looking for more vegan picnic recipes, you’ll also love this Creamy Dill Pickle Pasta Salad, this Mango Chickpea Salad, and this Everything Bagel Potato Salad!
How to Store Leftover Pasta Salad
This pasta salad is best served right away because this is when it will be the sauciest and the vegetables will still be crisp.
If you do end up with leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days. The vegetables will soften and the dressing will soak into the pasta, but the chilled salad will still taste great.
You can also prepare some of the components ahead of time. Blend the green goddess dressing, transfer it to an airtight jar, and refrigerate it for 1 to 2 days. The pasta and asparagus can also be cooked, shocked with cold water, and kept covered in the fridge for about 3 days. When it’s time to eat, combine the pasta and asparagus with the fresh vegetables and beans, then toss them with the dressing.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten-Free Option: Simply use an equal amount of gluten-free pasta to make this pasta salad gluten-free.
- Garbanzo Bean Substitute: Swap the chickpeas for an equal amount of cannellini beans or steamed and cooled shelled edamame.
- Coconut Yogurt Substitute: Any tangy unsweetened non-dairy yogurt can be used in place of the coconut yogurt. Or, if vegan yogurt isn’t available where you live, add 1/3 cup cashews, 1/2 cup of water, and 1 tablespoon of additional lemon juice to the blender when you’re making the dressing.
Recipe FAQs
This mayo or yogurt-based dressing is traditionally made with lots of herbs, garlic cloves, and anchovy paste.
Kind of! Both sauces are made with mayo, garlic, and herbs, but green goddess dressing tends to use more fresh herbs to make them the star of the show. Ranch dressing is usually lighter and creamier.
I generally advise against freezing pasta salads made with creamy dressings because the noodles will become soggy and the consistency changes after thawing.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Green Goddess Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the Pasta Salad:
- 16 ounces dry pasta gluten-free if needed
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 1 lb. bunch asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 1” pieces
- 32 ounces canned garbanzo beans drained and rinsed (2 cans)
- 1 ½ cups snap peas cut into ½” pieces
- 2 persian cucumbers quartered and sliced
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- 1/2 watermelon radish quartered and sliced (or 3-4 red radishes, sliced)
For the Dressing:
- 3/4 cup coconut yogurt (see notes for substitutions)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 packed cup roughly chopped fresh parsley about 1/2 bunch
- 3 green onions trimmed into 1” pieces (or sub 1 small shallot)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the kosher salt. Add the dry pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Add the chopped asparagus for the final 3 minutes of the pastas cook time. Drain the pasta and asparagus, then rinse with cold water until it comes to room temperature. Set aside.
- Make the Dressing: While pasta is boiling, add the coconut yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, basil, parsley, green onion, garlic, and salt to a blender or bullet blender. Blend on high for 45 to 60 seconds, until a smooth dressing forms. Set aside.
- Combine: Add the pasta and asparagus mixture to the base of a large bowl. Add the garbanzo beans, snap peas, cucumbers, onions, and radish to the bowl, then pour the dressing on top. Mix well, until everything is evenly coated in the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste, if necessary.
- Serve: Divide between serving bowls and serve immediately. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free pasta to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Coconut Yogurt: Swap the coconut yogurt for another tangy unsweetened yogurt. Alternatively, add 1/3 cup cashews, 1/2 cup of water, and 1 tablespoon of additional lemon juice to the blender when making the dressing.
- Herbs: I recommend using 1 ½ cups of herbs total for this recipe. Basil and parsley are my favorites, but you can also include cilantro, basil, mint, and/or tarragon.
Green onions is listed twice in the ingredients list for this recipe. However in the method green onions is only mentioned for the dressing? Please edit the recipe so that all listed ingredients are used in the method and there is no guess on the part of persons like myself who choose to follow the recipe Thank you
They are used both in the dressing and tossed into the salad, the method states this! They are referred to as “onions” in step 3 🙂
Your method does not state that whatever Quantity is tossed into the salad.
I’m not sure what you mean
How would you use cilantro in this recipe? Would you replace the parsley or the basil? Have you used cilantro ?
I’ve not used cilantro for this, though you definitely could swap the parsley for it. It would have a different flavour though.