Introduction

A quick and easy green goddess pasta salad with peas featuring a homemade creamy yogurt dressing! Fresh or frozen peas add a burst of sweetness while chickpeas lend a hearty protein.

Salads are sometimes a contentious topic in my household. Whether green, bean, or pasta salad, someone is usually unenthusiastic about it. (You can read more about the lack of green salad enthusiasts here.) In the case of pasta salad, I grew up extremely unenthusiastic because of my aversion to mayonnaise. Specifically, macaroni salad stuck together and was scooped with a giant ice cream scoop (if only the lovely cafeteria ladies would scoop me ice cream instead). I’ve gotten over the mayo thing (mostly) but a traditional macaroni salad doesn’t get me that excited about food.

In this recipe for green goddess dressing, I’ve used the following fresh herbs:

• green onion
• chives
• parsley
• dill
• tarragon

If you’ve never had tarragon, it has a slight anise flavor that’s mildly sweet. It brings a light freshness to the dressing that’s really nice with the bite of the garlic, green onion, and chives. Throw in some earthy dill and you’ve got yourself a winner. The pasta salad is finished with some peas. Frozen peas are available year round, which is awesome for this recipe. But if you can get fresh English peas, they’re totally worth shelling out for this pasta salad.

How to Make Green Goddess Pasta Salad with Peas – Step by Step

This green goddess pasta salad is easy peasy! (Pun totally intended.) As I mentioned, I’ve made it with store bought dressing with excellent results. Or, you can make your own dressing following this recipe (I’ve even got a fun stop motion video to show you how)!

• First, you’ll cook the pasta according to package instructions (photo 1). You can use whatever shape of pasta you prefer, depending on what you have on hand in your pantry. Whole wheat, durum semolina, gluten-free or homemade are all great choices.

• Next, you’ll add fresh peas or thawed frozen peas (photo 2). In spring, fresh peas make an excellent addition. You could also try this pasta salad with sliced snow peas or snap peas if you don’t have English peas.

• Third, add cooked chickpeas to your pasta salad bowl (photo 3). I like to make chickpeas from scratch. They are more economical, they taste better, and it’s pretty straightforward to cook chickpeas in under an hour on the stove top.

• Finally, add your store bought or homemade green goddess dressing (photo 4). Once you have all your ingredients in your bowl, mix it all together. Be sure you season to taste with any salt, pepper, extra lemon juice or zest, or a bit more dressing to your liking. Assessing “to taste” is my favorite part of cooking. It’s an important step because no peas, pasta, chickpeas, or dressing taste exactly alike.

This green goddess pasta salad with peas is perfect to make ahead to enjoy on a picnic or hike this summer. I hope you try it!

Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating below and follow my account @ivloli. Thanks