Creamy Pasta Salad

The weather is finally starting to warm up (and stay kind of warm). One of my favorite things in warmer weather (hell, all weather) is pasta salad. There’s honestly nothing better in the world than cold pasta and veggies! And pasta salad is so versatile! If you peruse Pinterest, there are Italian pasta salads, taco pasta salads, and always seasonal pasta salads…”pasta salad” isn’t a word anymore, is it?

Anyway, I exceptionally love a creamy pasta salad. However, this comes with so many more calories. There was one my sister used to make called “Spring Salad” (though we only really ate it at Thanksgiving…) that involved a can of sweetened condensed milk, mayo, and sugar. That’s not healthy.

Thus, started my quest for a healthier alternative. What can you use to make something creamy but not terribly unhealthy? The answer: GREEK YOGURT.

pasta salad dressing

Creamy Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1lb pasta (of your choice)
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 1/2 can corn
  • carrots
  • plain Greek yogurt
  • Ranch dressing mix
  • dill
  • basil
  • milk

Directions:

  1. Chop vegetables to desired size.
  2. Cook pasta based on box specifications.
  3. For the dressing: combine about 1C Greek yogurt and about 3T milk until you’ve reached your desired consistency. Add powdered Ranch mix, dill, and basil.
  4. Combine cooked pasta and veggies.
  5. Add Greek Ranch and stir.

Remember, Greek yogurt is quite pungent and flavorful, so chances are you’re going to under season the dressing. Whatever you think you need to add, almost double it. Also, if I were you, I’d make some extra ranch. As the pasta salad sits in the fridge, it will absorb the dressing and dry out just a bit. You’ll want some extra dressing to bring it back to life as you eat it over the next few days.

pasta salad

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