The curly pasta in this simple, healthy salad is tossed with a creamy yet zesty dressing made from Greek yogurt, a lemon, olive oil, and a touch of honey. It balances richness with brightness in every bite.
Fresh baby spinach and juicy, sweet cherry tomatoes add color. Antioxidant capers pack a salty tang while the subtle bite of shallots rounds out the flavors.
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This salad tastes best after a little fridge time and is perfect for summertime outdoor meals. It's a hearty vegetarian (easily vegan) make-ahead side for barbecues and grilling occasions.
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Ingredients
- Fusilli, or rotini pasta
- Baby spinach leaves
- Cherry tomatoes
- Shallots
- Capers
- Lemon juice and zest
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Honey
- Garlic
- Black pepper
- Dry mustard
Pasta: (affiliate link) Curly pasta is a great vehicle for dressing (or sauce), but you could also use a tubular shape like penne or rotini.
Spinach: If your spinach leaves are large, cut or tear them in half for this salad.
Cherry tomatoes: Use the sweetest ones you can find.
Shallots: Don't substitute regular white or red onions. Green onions are okay, just be sure to finely chop.
Capers: Salty goodness for the salad, and a rich source of the antioxidant flavonoid quercetin, which fights inflammation. Look for (affiliate link) small to medium capers, not the jumbo size.
Olive oil: This is the base of the dressing, and flavor is important! So, reach for a dark bottle of (affiliate link) extra virgin olive oil with a rich, fruity taste.
Greek yogurt: A plain whole-milk or 2% fat yogurt will taste best.
Honey: Swap in maple syrup if you want a vegan alternative.
Garlic: Fresh is best, but use powder if you're fresh out.
Black pepper: Finely ground pepper is a nice complement and may help you absorb nutrients in the salad. If you like a spicy kick, use cayenne instead.
Dry mustard: (affiliate link) This ingredient is super important to the overall flavor and makes the salad sing!
How to Make
Wash your hands, lathering with soap and rinsing with running water for 20 seconds, before starting.
Boil the pasta until it is just past al dente, letting it continue to cook for a minute or two longer than package directions.
Drain in a (affiliate link) colander and rinse with cool water. Transfer pasta to a (affiliate link) large bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a lid, and refrigerate for a couple of hours or longer.
Place lemon juice, zest, yogurt, and other needed ingredients in a medium bowl to make dressing while the pasta chills.
Zest and juice a lemon, add the oil, yogurt, honey (or maple syrup), pepper, and dry mustard. Add garlic and whisk until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the salad.
Remove the pasta from the refrigerator and top with spinach leaves, cherry tomatoes, shallots, and capers.
Pour the dressing over. Toss until all ingredients are well coated with the zesty lemon dressing.
Toss until all ingredients are well coated with the zesty lemon dressing.
Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat at your barbecue or picnic!
Find the full recipe with amounts and complete instructions at the bottom of this post.
👩🏼🍳Cooking tips and storage
A word about spinach: If your leaves are large, cut them in half. Also, remove any extra-long stems, which are often tough and unpleasant to eat.
Chop the shallots and capers finely before adding for the best texture and taste.
Capers are very salty, but feel free to add salt to taste. Chilling helps the flavors develop and allows the capers to infuse the salad, so you probably won't need extra salt after the salad has spent time in the fridge.
When assembling the dressing, mince or press the garlic clove and set it aside for 10 minutes to develop cancer-fighting allicins. Read Garlic Goodness, to learn more about its powerful health benefits!
The salad will absorb some of the dressing as it sits, but rinsing the pasta helps to minimize this.
Since there is no animal protein in the salad, it easily keeps in the refrigerator for about four days. However, for optimum enjoyment, prepare it no more than the day before serving.
❗It is not freezable.
Variation and/or addition
Chickpeas or white beans: For a vegetarian/vegan main dish, add a 16-ounce can to the salad ingredients before tossing with the dressing. This addition boosts the protein, potassium, and fiber, and creates a more filling and sustaining meal.
Nuts and seeds: Sprinkle the salad with sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts, cashews, or pine nuts for a bit more protein, fiber, and healthy fat. For the best taste, toast before topping.
Is this pasta salad healthy?
💪🏽You betcha. A serving has approximately nine grams of plant-based protein from the pasta, veggies, and Greek yogurt in the dressing. So, vegetarians and vegans could easily make this a main dish.
It's also a good source of iron, which continues to be a common nutritional deficiency in the U.S.
🧂Plus, it is low in sodium but has a relishable, savory flavor.
Nutrition Speak: A good nutrient source offers 10% to 19% of the Daily Value. An excellent source provides 20% or more.
Spinach is a good source of vitamin K, which supports bone health.
Spinach is also full of lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoid antioxidants that are especially beneficial for eye health.
Found in the retina, research indicates they prevent cataracts and slow age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
A ground-breaking study from the ‘90s in the Journal of American Medicine Association (JAMA) found that a diet with a good amount of dark leafy greens, specifically spinach and collard greens, corresponded to “a substantially lower risk for AMD."
The capers and shallots in the salad also contain rich antioxidant nutrition from quercetin, which may be the most commonly eaten anti-inflammatory flavonoid in the American diet.
Quercetin has several benefits. It may:
- mitigate the effects of histamines, so it could possibly help with allergies.
- lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease
- fight cancers of the breast, colon, lungs, and reproductive organs
- reduce symptoms of bladder cystitis and prostate inflammation
This delicious chilled pasta dish may help strengthen your bones when eaten as a side or a salad.
Learn more about Practical Dietitians who specialize in nutrition for osteoporosis and their rating system!
Of course, the cherry tomatoes offer vitamin C and minerals like potassium.
Finally, the chilled pasta is a source of resistant starch, so it has a lower glycemic index than pasta eaten hot. This could help manage blood sugar and make it less likely to trend upwards.
(Pasta is notorious for sending blood sugar into orbit. 😞)
FAQ
It will taste best if you cook it a little more. You don't want it mushy or super limp, but because it will firm up in the refrigerator as it chills, it needs to be softer than al dente.
Use maple syrup or agave nectar in place of the honey.
Only if you must! Whole milk or 2% fat will give the dressing a creamier taste. But if you're religiously avoiding saturated fat, go ahead. Because of the olive oil in the dressing, it will still taste okay.
Other vegetable-rich salad recipes...
There's nothing as refreshing as a cucumber salad, and this quick French-style Cucumber Salad should probably be called Quickest Cuke Salad Ever! It's just cucumbers, dill, and a simple oil-vinegar dressing.
The flavor of this slightly sweet Pineapple Carrot Salad may remind you of carrot cake. It's an elevated version of the grated carrot raisin salad, sure to be a hit at lunch, dinner, or even brunch.
If you like a more austere take on fresh vegetable salads, this zucchini carrot melange may be just the ticket. The lemony marinade is so uplifting!
Pasta Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing
Equipment
- large pot
- Colander
- small bowl jar, or measuring cup
- whisk small to medium
Ingredients
Salad
- 8 ounces fusilli rotini or penne pasta
- 2 ounces baby spinach leaves, cut in half if large, tough stems removed
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 Tablespoons shallots, minced
- 2 Tablespoons capers, finely chopped
Greek Yogurt Dressing
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, from one lemon
- 1½ teaspoons lemon zest, from one lemon
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil, extra virgin
- 3 Tablespoons Greek yogurt, whole milk or 2%
- 1 teaspoon honey, or maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic, pressed or grated
- ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, or cayenne if you like it spicy
Instructions
- Wash hands thoroughly, lathering with soap and rinsing with running water.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water a minute or two past package directions. Pour the pasta into a colander and rinse with cold water. Thoroughly drain.
- Place the rinsed pasta in a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate for two hours or longer.
- While the pasta is chilling make the creamy Greek Yogurt Dressing.
Creamy, Lemony Greek Yogurt Dressing
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, juice and zest a lemon.
- Add the olive oil, Greek yogurt, garlic clove, honey (or maple syrup), dry mustard, and black pepper. Whisk to emulsify. It should be smooth and light yellow.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
Salad Assembly
- Remove the bowl of chilled pasta from the refrigerator.
- Top with spinach, cherry tomato halves, minced shallots, and chopped capers.
- Shake or whisk the vinaigrette to blend; pour over the pasta salad ingredients and toss, thoroughly coating the pasta and vegetables.
- Chill for at least an hour or more before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Copyright © 2020 Jani H. Leuschel
Jani H. Leuschel
So glad you enjoyed it!
Grace Rivers
Loved this easy to make recipe. The only thing that had to be cooked was the pasta. It was tangy, refreshing, and filling. Fabulous combo of flavors and colors.
jani
Such a bounty of juicy, nutritious produce can be had during the summer! 🌞
kdk4503
Your salads sound simple and delicious! I’m struck—after reading your articles—at how considerate Mother Nature is at providing protective nutrients during sunny heat of summer!