Cucumber Pasta Salad

This Cucumber Pasta Salad recipe is quick, simple and one that everyone will LOVE. The inspiration for this recipe started with my love of tzatziki sauce, which is a cucumber yogurt sauce that’s traditionally served with Mediterranean food. I thought, hey, this would make a great dressing for a pasta salad and that’s how this recipe was born!

This refreshing pasta salad is a medley of textures and tastes. Tender pasta is mixed with crisp cucumber, zesty red onion, and the freshness of chopped spinach. But what truly elevates this dish is the creamy dressing, which closely mimics the flavors in tzatziki sauce.

Whether you’re preparing this to have as a quick meal throughout the week, for a potluck, or a refreshing side for dinner, this Cucumber Pasta Salad is sure to become a staple in your recipe collection.

INGREDIENT NOTES

For the Dressing:

• Cucumber – You want to peel the cucumber first, and then cut it lengthwise. Take a spoon and gently scrape out the seeds. Finely chop the remaining cucumber.
• Mayo – I love the tangy flavor that mayo adds to this dressing.
• Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt – This combines with the mayo to make the perfect base for the dressing. I like to use plain Greek yogurt when I have it. It adds some protein and is more authentic to traditional tzatziki sauce. However, sour cream tastes equally as good! I’ve made it with sour cream multiple times.
• Garlic – I like to use minced garlic. I always have a jar of it in the refrigerator so it’s quick and easy to use. If you don’t have any, you could also finely chop fresh garlic cloves. In a pinch, you could use half a teaspoon of garlic powder as a substitute.
• Dill seasoning – This is one of the main ingredients in tzatziki sauce, which is why I include it in the dressing. It adds a lot of flavor.
• Salt – Make sure to taste at the end and add more, if needed.
• Juice and zest from one lemon – The zest adds another level of flavor.

For the pasta:

• Pasta – I like to use rotini noodles, but any short noodle will do! (Macaroni, bow-tie, elbow, etc.)
• Cucumber – Use the same process as with the cucumbers in the dressing. Peel, scoop seeds and chop. This helps the cucumbers hold up longer without getting too watery. If you know there won’t be leftovers, you can always leave the seeds in.
• Red onion – Finely dice about half an onion into small pieces. The red onion flavors goes so well with the rest of the flavors in this pasta salad.
• Fresh spinach – I love throwing fresh spinach into my recipes whenever possible. It has so many health benefits and really doesn’t affect the taste!

VIDEO INSTRUCTIONS

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

In a large pot, boil water for the noodles.

While waiting for the water to boil, mix all the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl. NOTE: I recommend scooping out the seeds from your cucumber to prevent the dressing from getting too watery. I do this by cutting the cucumber lengthwise and then using my knife or a spoon to scoop the seeds out. They come out super easy! Then, I chop them.

Prepare the veggies. Finely dice the red onions. Roughly chop the spinach into smaller pieces. Peel the cucumber, cut it lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and roughly chop. (If you know there won’t be leftovers, you can leave the seeds in. Remove them if you want the pasta salad to last a few days. This helps the cucumbers hold up longer without getting as watery.)

Once the pasta is done, move to strainer, rinse under cool water and drain well.

Add the cooled, drained pasta to the bowl with the dressing. Then, add the cucumbers, onions and spinach.

Toss everything together, cover and chill. Enjoy after 3-4 hours in the refrigerator, or make this the day before serving it.

If you make this recipe and could take a quick second to give it a rating below, I would be so grateful! Just scroll all the way to the bottom and click the amount of stars you rate this. Thank you so much!

TIPS & NOTES

The fresh vegetables in this can always be adjusted and customized to you or your crowd’s liking. You can use less onion, no onion, less spinach, more cucumber – you get the point lol. Don’t be afraid to make changes!

This makes a great potluck dish. It’s perfect for large gatherings and can easily be doubled. Or, if you’re like me, you can make this cucumber pasta salad on the weekend to have for an already-made lunch throughout the busy week.

This makes great leftovers. It should last for about 3-5 days in the refrigerator, as long as it’s properly stored in an airtight container.

For another delicious pasta salad that’s also loaded with fresh veggies and flavor, be sure to check out my recipe for Creamy Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad. If you try any of these, please give it a quick rating below or leave me a comment and let me know how you liked it!

Thank you so much!

<3 Meghan | Electric Mommy