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 this recipe was born!

This refreshing 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 lunch throughout the week, for a potluck, or a refreshing side for a dinner gathering, this Cucumber Pasta Salad is sure to become a staple in your recipe collection.

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INGREDIENTS

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, but if your not a mayo fan, a good substitute would be plain Greek yogurt.
  • Sour cream – This combines with the mayo to give the dressing it’s delicious creaminess.
  • Garlic
  • Dill seasoning
  • Salt
  • Juice and zest from one lemon

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.
  • Red onion – Finely dice about half an onion into small pieces.
  • 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. Make sure to scoop 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!

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Prepare the veggies. Finely dice the red onions. Chop the spinach into small pieces. Peel the cucumber, cut it lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and roughly chop (same as with the dressing).

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

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

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

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.

cucumber pasta salad, tzatziki pasta salad, easy pasta salad recipe
5 from 1 vote
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Cucumber Pasta Salad

A simple recipe that combines pasta, cucumbers and other veggies with a creamy, homemade dressing that's full of flavor.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

Dressing Ingredients

  • ½ cucumber peeled, seeds scooped out and finely diced
  • ½ cup mayo
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ½ tbsp garlic minced
  • ½ tbsp dill seasoning dried
  • ½ tsp salt
  • juice and zest from one lemon

Remaining Ingredients

  • 12 oz pasta
  • 1 cucumber peeled, seeds scooped out and roughly chopped
  • ½ red onion finely diced
  • 1 cup spinach packed and chopped

Instructions

  1. Boil water for noodles in a large pot.

  2. While waiting, mix all the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl. (See note above regarding removing the seeds from the cucumbers.)

  3. Prepare the veggies. Finely dice the red onions. Chop the spinach into smaller pieces. Peel the cucumber, cut it lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and roughly chop.

  4. Once pasta is done, move to strainer, rinse under cool water and drain well. Add cooled pasta to the bowl with dressing.

  5. Add the red onion, spinach and cucumber. Toss everything together and chill. Enjoy after 3-4 hours in the refrigerator, or you can always make this a day ahead.

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

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2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made this today for our weekly family pot luck and it was amazing! (I tried it before hand) I’m sure everyone is going to love it when I bring it this evening!

    1. I love that you have a weekly family potluck! That’s such a sweet tradition. And I’m so glad everyone liked the pasta! Thank you so much for rating it. It helps so much. 🙂

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