Green Goddess Pasta Salad!
This is the pasta salad you never knew you needed, and the one that you should be bringing to allllll the summer BBQ potlucks this year. It is a perfect mix of pasta, beans and veggies, which helps to keep you fuller longer and allows you larger portions for lower carbs!
I love the flavor of this one, but the texture is off the charts. The crunch from the asparagus and pinoli nuts are what sets this apart from most mushy or overly creamy pasta salads. The Bolthouse Farms Avocado Green Goddess Dressing and fresh parsley rounds it out and gives it some of that rich taste you expect from a pasta salad (but fresher and more delicious).
The macros for this will vary based on how many servings you get from what you make. I made a HUGE serving for myself yesterday (paired with a beautiful piece of cod), because I had the macros freed up. The recipe I am posting here can serve 4-6 depending on how large/small the portions are. Bonus: There is a decent amount of protein in this one! #winning
Here is the recipe for the Green Goddess Pasta Salad:
- 4 oz dry Gemelli pasta (I used Barilla)
- 1 cup cooked peas (or thawed from frozen)
- 45g Pinoli nuts (pinenuts)
- 12 cooked asparagus spears (chopped)
- 3/4 cup garbanzo beans
- 6 tbsp (3 servings) Bolthouse Farms Avocado Green Goddess Dressing
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Bring water to a boil over high heat, add salt to the water once boiling. Measure out your pasta while it is dry, then place into boiling water. In a nonstick pan over medium heat (lightly sprayed), add your pinoli nuts to toast them. After 2-3 minutes (shake the pan frequently), add the garbanzo beans. When the pasta is cooked al dente, drain the water and place in the pan with the nuts and beans. Add asparagus (I grilled it beforehand, but you can cook it using any method – just don’t overcook it) and peas and toss in the pan. After 1-2 minutes, remove from heat and add to a large bowl. Pour the Bolthouse Farms Avocado Green Goddess Dressing over top and mix everything together well. You can eat this warm, or set aside and cool then let chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving. Top with parsley just before eating.
The macros for 4 equal servings is 40g carbs, 6g fat and 14g protein. If you take smaller servings, 6 equal servings is 27g carbs, 4g fat and 9g protein. Depending on your macro goals, your numbers leftover for the day, you can decide how large a portion you take.
This is a GREAT make-ahead dish. A few things that are super important: make sure you don’t overcook your asparagus. I also wouldn’t do the canned or frozen/steam in a bag asparagus. You want it to still have a little bit of snap! Also, for the peas, you can thaw a frozen bag and use them, or cook them ahead. For this, I used steam in a bag and they worked great.
You could also change up the flavor on this if you wanted. Here’s how:
- Replace the peas with chopped cucumber and tomatoes and add fat free feta cheese crumbles
- Swap out the asparagus and peas for corn and black beans, use Bolthouse Farms Salsa Ranch Dressing
- Use spinach and cooked, cubed butternut squash instead of garbanzo beans and top with Bolthouse Farms Creamy Roasted Garlic Dressing
As always, the opportunities are endless. You can have things you love, like pasta salad, just lighten it up by using half pasta, half (or more) veggies. I didn’t use the fatty Italian dressing normally seen in pasta salads, but this creamy, lower fat option still hits the spot and gave this pasta salad some crazy amazing flavor.
