Green Goddess Pasta Salad

Question: which type of tortellini- my store carries dried, refrigerated and frozen. Which is best for this recipe? Anxious to try it!

Why? The recipe is great as written. I personally do not find cream cheese as a good pairing with cheese tortellini, would not sub either of those vinegars for lemon in this flavor profile, and believe the sweetness of the peas adds a balance to everything else in the mix; asparagus and peas are frequently paired for a reason. Ms Clarke is an accomplished pro cook: she did everything in this delish salad for a reason. Ummmm .... did you try it? It is excellent!

We added blanched asparagus and crispy prosciutto and lemon zest

Variations. For half the sour cream, use cream cheese, which clings well both to greens and pasta. For the peas, use thin haricots verts, blanched one minute, and halved. For the arugula, use baby spinach. For the lemon juice, white or cider vinegar. To add crunch, garnish with slivered almonds.

The dressing is the key. Made this following the recipe but using half a box of cavatelli the first night and had leftover sauce which went on grilled meat and vegetables the next day. Made it again but added the aging avocado on the counter and some leftover feta from the fridge. Great easy recipe base with lots of variations for using up extra herbs, cheese, vegetables. A keeper.

Halved this for 2 people - we easily have enough for 4 more servings! Made as is, with 2% Greek yogurt, and it was DELICIOUS. Fresh, summery, substantial (served with a little rotisserie chicken for more protein). Will use the dressing on LOTS of things, and this will be a standard this summer!

In reading this recipe, I would think that refrigerated or frozen tortellini would be best.

We enjoyed this fresh new take on pasta salad! I ended up doubling the lemon juice and used up the packages of basil, parsley, and chives (so maybe double the herbs?) but what a flavorful salad!

I’ve made this a few times now, as directed in the recipe. It’s excellent, as-is, but I add a little lemon zest and bit more lemon juice than called for (maybe 1/2 T??) to give it a little more brightness. Also, since I find snap peas to be a PITA, and a little tough this time of year, I’ve subbed in frozen peas and/or halved cherry tomatoes.

Fresh is always best. But dried will work when time and/or budgets don’t permit. Frozen is better than dried only because sometimes the dried tortellinis don’t always cook up tender or have enough stuffing, IMO.

WendyK For these kinds of recipes, I always just use the packages in the refrigerated section. They cook a bit faster than frozen. However, if you have frozen it just needs to cook longer, no biggie. Im not a fan of the dried shelf stable tortellini because I feel the fillings taste kinda funky, being they are made to be shelf stable. Hope this helps!

I made this with dill and omitted the fennel (not a fan). I also substituted blanched asparagus for the snap peas and baby greens for the arugula because I had them on hand. Everyone raved. Perfect summer dish.

Spinach instead of arugula, briefly blanched, for dressing used half cream cheese (as previously suggested in notes), Greek yogurt had turned, so used a bit of leftover tzatziki. Garlic forward but we are OK with that. Flake salt at end. M-wah!

I like to look at the suggested variations, especially in the current climate where we may not have what a recipe calls for at hand and may not be able to get it. Happy to have suggestions from creative cooks that like the results!

I've been meaning to make this avocado-based green goddess dressing - it might be a nice substitute for the dressing in Melissa's version. https://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/green-goddess-avocado-sauce