This Greek pasta salad with Barilla Better for You pasta is a healthy spin on the classic side dish and filled with fresh veggies!
When it comes to the typical American BBQ/cookout/summer picnic, I honestly hate just about everything about them.
Soda, pretzel and chip “appetizers”, flat as a pancake overcooked hamburgers and most of all, mayo laden pasta salads.
Mayonnaise is just gross.
It’s not even about its health factor (or lack there of ), it’s just nastiness in a jar.
And unfortunately, we think it’s a great idea to slather it all about perfectly good potatoes and pasta, shove it in plastic containers and call it a day.
Not my thing.
That’s just not how it should go down, people.
So as we go into the last “official” summer cookout weekend of the year, let’s do that pasta salad side some justice.
Let’s fill it with chunks of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, season it up with dill and lemon and most importantly, leave the mayo in the fridge and grab the Greek yogurt instead.
I did this with the classic creamy cucumber salad to give it a healthy spin and I’m doing it with this Greek pasta salad too!
If you prefer non-creamy pasta salads, take a look at this balsamic tofu pasta salad. Just as tasty minus the “gooey” part.
And since we’re getting all healthy, I loved using one of Barilla’s Better for You pasta options in this recipe.
They use whole grains to ramp up the nutrition factor and you can easily find them in one of your local stores.
You can use whatever pasta type or shape you like though.
For a gluten-free version of this pasta salad, try something like red lentil pasta or brown rice pasta.
In fact, speaking of brown rice, my brown rice penne with lamb and mint pesto is another Greek inspired pasta dish that’s absolutely delicious. It could be served cold too!
If you’re looking for a lower-carb side dish with all the same Greek flavors, try this keto Greek salad.
I’m betting no one will be complaining that the deli mush container of the usual stuff is MIA once they taste this Greek pasta salad.
Happy end of summer!
More Greek inspired recipes to try:
Greek Shrimp Skillet
Greek Brown Rice Bowls
Lemon Spinach Feta Pasta
Greek Stuffed Whole Red Snapper
Greek Potato Casserole
Greek Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound Barilla Better For You Pasta, I used farfalle
- 1 cucumber, chopped
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olive, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- salt & pepper to taste
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
Garnishes
- dill
- chopped green onions
- feta crumbles
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and let cool.
- Combine cooled pasta in a large bowl with remaining ingredients and toss together until well mixed.
- Garnish the pasta with dill, green onions and/or feta cheese crumbles.
- Serve room temperature.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
I’m so going to make this and eat it ALL by myself!! Going to the store to buy the plain Greek yogurt now!!
I’m still struggling with the end of summer – because Pasta salad shouldn’t be relegated just to the summer months – I want it all year long! (Like Pumpkin— *flinches waiting for you to beat me*)
This looks scrumptious! I love a good and healthy pasta salad!
With a Greek surname, Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise makes perfect sense… :-D I’m with you on hating most of the barbecue fare. I’m okay with some mayonnaise in some things (I make a nice lime-cilantro aioli to go with green chili cheese burgers), but I’ve never learned to eat mayonnaise potato salad. My husband’s pasta salad includes mayo and is delicious. But I am all the time substituting Greek yogurt for things like mayo and sour cream. I really like this recipe and will definitely put it on my to-make list. I wish there was hope that I could find that variety of pasta in my local grocery. Where I live the we have only two grocery chains and neither one carries good stuff like that.
This looks so good! I can’t wait to try it over the weekend, and I agree – out with the mayo! Thanks for sharing, Monika
Lol Gina! That’s not how it should go down! I agree. Though, I have to admit, I don’t hate mayo. I am not crazy about how high in calories it is, so I do mostly Greek yogurt and then a little mayo for flavor. Either way, this pasta salad looks sooooo fresh and amazing. No mayo required;)
This looks amazing, and I will definitely be substituting Greek yogurt for mayo in my next recipe.
Yum! I love using Greek yogurt instead of Mayo or Sour cream in recipes! Love this healthy spin on a classic dish!
This salad looks amazing! I love all of the flavors going on in this beautiful dish. I can’t wait to give it a try!