Pasta Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing
This post may contain affiliate links.
Make a deliciously creamy Pasta Salad with the best Greek yogurt dressing! This simple pasta salad recipe is easy to whip up in 20 minutes and guaranteed to be your new favorite summer side dish!
Table of contents
I might be the first person ever to take notes on their honeymoon describing the food they ate, so they could recreate it at home. I guess you can take the food blogger out of the kitchen, but you can never take the love of recipe development out of the food blogger!
This pasta salad recipe actually came from our hotel breakfast in Santorini, Greece. Our small boutique hotel, Cresanto, had the most incredible breakfast buffet that I’ve ever had in my life. There were countertops filled with fresh produce, the most delicious yogurt, tons of homemade pastries, and this amazing Zucchini Pie.
One of our favorite items at the breakfast buffet was none other than their pasta salad. My husband and I were both hooked on this salad by the end of our trip, so I took my phone out and we started taking notes on exactly what was in the salad, the flavors of the pasta salad dressing and how we could recreate it at home.
Selfishly I really just wanted to recreate this pasta salad at home so that I could eat it over and over again. But unselfishly, I also wanted to share it with all of you, so that you could enjoy the best pasta salad right in your own home. After a few tries, I recreated the pasta salad that we came to love in Greece, and every time I take a bite, it tastes like we’re right back in Santorini!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- The dressing is both light and creamy! Most creamy pasta salad dressings contain mayonnaise, this one does not. Instead it’s made with tangy, velvety Greek yogurt.
- The dressing contains a secret ingredient that gives this salad a unique and delicious flavor. It’s curry powder! And before you knock it, you should definitely try it! If you’re a hard no on curry powder, try replacing it with turmeric.
- The salad is a simple combination of fresh ingredients. It’s just pasta, bell peppers, onion and the curry dill salad dressing. Simple and scrumptious!
- It’s easy to make! It only takes 20 minutes to make this salad, so you can whip it up anytime.
Ingredients
For the full ingredient amounts, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Penne pasta – or other small pasta shapes like macaroni noodles, rotini pasta, farfalle (bow tie) or small shells will all work.
- Bell peppers – I like to use a combination of colors of bell peppers for a beautiful, colorful pasta salad, but feel free to use just one or two colors of red, green, yellow, or orange bell peppers.
- Onion – I recommend red onion for this recipe because of its bright color and bold flavor. White onions can also be used.
- Greek yogurt – Always use plain Greek Yogurt, without any added flavors. I recommend a high quality, whole milk Greek yogurt for the best flavor. I’ve tested this recipe with Greek Gods (pictured above) and Chobani, and would recommend both of these brands.
- Lemon juice – I always recommend fresh-squeezed juice for the best flavor.
- Curry powder – if you’re opposed to the flavor of curry powder, I recommend replacing it with turmeric. This will give some of the same flavor, as turmeric is one of the main ingredients in curry powder, without giving as strong of a flavor. It will also help produce the beautiful yellow color of the dressing.
- Fresh dill – this was one of the main ingredients in the original pasta salad in Greece. If you love the flavor of dill, you’re going to love this salad. If you’re not a fan of dill, you can replace it with fresh parsley or tarragon.
- Garlic – I recommend fresh crushed cloves for the best flavor. In a pinch, you can substitute the fresh cloves with 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Honey – one of the staples in Greece is honey. This ingredient adds the perfect amount of natural sweetness to the salad dressing.
- Salt + black pepper – to season the Greek yogurt dressing.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prepare the salad dressing. In a small mixing bowl, combine Greek yogurt, lemon juice, curry powder, fresh chopped dill, crushed garlic cloves, honey, salt and pepper. Place in the refrigerator.
- Prepare the pasta salad. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil on the stove. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Drain the pasta, transfer it to a large bowl and place it in the refrigerator to cool for 10 minutes. Mince bell peppers and onions, then add them to the bowl with the cooked pasta. Pour the dressing over the pasta and veggies, and toss until everything is coated in the salad dressing. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to chill before serving.
Make ahead and storage tips
- This recipe can be made ahead of time. In fact, the pasta salad gets even better as it sits and soaks in the flavors of the dressing. If you’re making the salad 24 hours in advance, or more, be sure to cover it before placing it in the refrigerator.
- Leftover pasta salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I always recommend eating the salad cold, and storing it in an airtight container to preserve the fresh flavors.
Optional additions
This pasta salad is perfect just the way it is, but it’s also delicious with these additions.
- Kalamata olives or black olives
- Diced cucumbers
- Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes – sliced in half
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Diced zucchini
What to serve it with
This pasta salad is the quintessential summer side dish. It’s light and refreshing, but also creamy and flavorful. You can’t go wrong serving this salad with an easy weeknight meal, or at a 4th of July party with any of these delicious main dishes!
More summer side dishes
Try these other scrumptious side dishes, perfect for summer BBQ’s, potlucks and picnics!
This recipe was #12 on the Top 23 New Recipes of 2023! Click the link to see what other delicious recipes made the list!
Pasta Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked penne pasta
- 1 cup minced bell peppers
- 1 cup minced red onion
Dressing
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt, recommended: whole milk
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons yellow curry powder
- ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil on the stove.
- Add the penne pasta and cook according to the package directions.
- Drain the pasta, transfer it to a large mixing bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the salad dressing by combining the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, curry powder, fresh dill, crushed garlic, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Remove the cooled pasta from the refrigerator and add the minced bell peppers and onions to the bowl.
- Pour the prepared salad dressing over the cooked pasta and vegetables, and toss to coat all of the ingredients in the creamy dressing.
- Cover and place the salad in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
Notes
- The serving size for this recipe is for 6-8 people, when served as a side dish, with a main dish and at least one other side dish. If serving the recipe as the only side dish with a main dish, it will feed 4 people.
- To make this recipe gluten-free replace traditional penne pasta with gluten-free penne, rotini, small shells or elbow pasta.
- Leftover pasta salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I always recommend eating the salad cold, and storing it in an airtight container to preserve the fresh flavors.
Nutrition Facts
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
