Protein-Packed Creamy Pasta Salad

It’s been a rather busy couple of weeks, and my kitchen has sadly been gathering dust! The calendar was jam-packed with one thing after another, and we’ve been eating out way more than we probably should. (Be on the lookout for a couple more posts soon about my food blogger adventures!) But having good food out is a HAPPY kind of busy, so I can’t really complain… Sidenote: if you haven’t seen my Instagram feed lately, you should definitely check out the Hong Kong egg waffle bubblecone with sea salt caramel ice cream from Milkcraft, the plethora of tacos from Bartaco, and lobster roll from Westfair Fish & Chips.

I wanted to highlight a pasta recipe that is quick to whip up, and one of my favorite go-to dishes for sharing. It’s a definite crowd-pleaser and absolutely perfect for the upcoming summer months; it can be served right away, or chilled for a picnic. Another great point: every ingredient can usually be found in my fridge, freezer, or pantry… which was absolutely essential last week when I could barely find time to run to the store (which I’m sure many of you can relate to).

Years ago, I originally sought out how to make my favorite Ruby Tuesday creamy pasta salad. But when I saw how much mayo was in the copycat recipes, I almost gave up! It was around that time we began our health(-ier) food kick, and I discovered that Greek yogurt was the perfect substitute for a lot of cream-based recipes. (You’ll usually find a giant Costco tub of 0% nonfat Fage brand Greek yogurt in our fridge.) Add in some powdered Ranch seasoning, a giant squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and a liiiiittle bit of mayo for the perfect, much healthier version of creamy pasta salad. While I used Hampton Creek’s Just Mayo – a vegan & gluten-free mayo – I also highly recommend Sir Kensington’s mayonnaise (they also carry Fabanaise, another vegan mayo made from aquafaba which is the water leftover from cooked chickpeas).

This time I reached for whatever was left in my fridge for this specific recipe: nitrate/nitrite-free Canadian bacon, some red bell pepper, a handful of fresh arugula, plus I always have frozen corn and peas just in case. You should feel free to toss in whatever fresh or frozen veggies you have on hand! Try it and see just how easy this recipe is … and I guarantee you’ll add it to your back pocket too for those “I need something, quick!” moments.

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Protein-Packed Creamy Pasta Salad

This crowd-pleasing pasta salad comes together quickly for an easy entertaining side dish. It's also easy to pack for a perfect summer picnic. Non-fat Greek yogurt helps increase the protein content, and you can easily throw in whatever vegetables you have on hand.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

• 1 lb Pasta
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 lb Canadian bacon, diced
• 1 medium shallot or small onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 generous handful fresh arugula leaves

Dressing

• 3 cups nonfat Greek yogurt (I like Fage!)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp Ranch Dressing Powder Mix (Hidden Valley)
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper (or more/less, to taste)

Instructions

1. Place a large pot of water to boil. While it heats up, chop/dice/mince the rest of the ingredients.

2. Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Sauté the shallot/onion until slightly translucent, then add the garlic, diced red bell pepper, frozen corn, and peas. Allow everything to cook through, approximately 5 minutes, stirring every so often.

3. Cook pasta according to package instructions. While the pasta cooks, combine all the dressing ingredients.

4. Drain the pasta, and put back into the pot. Add the sautéed Canadian bacon & vegetables, then add HALF of the dressing to the mixture.

5. If not serving right away: refrigerate the pasta salad, other half of the dressing, and the arugula separately.

6. Just before serving, add arugula and the rest of the dressing. Toss to combine.

Recipe Notes

If you do not serve this pasta salad right away, you'll find that the pasta noodles will soak up all the dressing and look something like this:

Not to worry ... This is why I suggest mixing only half the dressing, and keeping the other half to add in just before serving!

*There is MSG in Hidden Valley Ranch dry seasoning mix, but I like to keep some on hand for easy use. If you would like to avoid this, there are several recipes online (like this one by Damn Delicious) to make your own!