Pasta Salad is the great American side dish, perfect for bbqs, baby showers, birthday parties, family dinners, or anytime you need a delicious and easy side dish to feed a crowd.
This Pasta Salad is such a great mix of things. It’s creamy from the buttermilk dressing, but yet feels light from the lemon flavor, then packed with veggies and pasta, of course, and then the feta cheese and walnuts for even more crunch. The flavor is so good! You can change it up to your specific tastes by adding more lemon, more spice or different veggies. Super easy to make and get ready for everyone to ask for the recipe.
One of the best things about this Pasta Salad recipe is just how easy it is to make. Simple ingredients, nothing fancy but incredible flavor
Penne Pasta
Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumber
Red Onion
Green Pepper
Feta Cheese
Walnuts
Mayo
Hiland Dairy Buttermilk
Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest
Garlic Powder
Red Pepper Flakes
Salt/Pepper
Step One: Boil the pasta according to package directions until all the way done. Drain and run cold water over the pasta. Set aside. Cut the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and green pepper and set aside.
Step Two: In a medium bowl, combine the mayo, Hiland Buttermilk, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Whisk together until smooth. Taste and adjust if more salt is needed.
Step Three: In a large bowl, add the cooked and cooled pasta, the veggies, and pour the dressing over top. Mix and combine together so that all the pasta and veggies are coated in the dressing. Add the feta cheese and walnuts to the top and combine again. Serve!
This Lemon Pasta Salad works perfectly to make ahead even up to a few days. Making ahead allows all the flavors to develop even more and create even stronger flavors. Make the recipe and then store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.
This Pasta Salad recipe is great because you can add or substitute lots of things to make it exactly how you like.
Veggies: Add more veggies and swap out for other favorites. Other veggies that would be delicious would be: broccoli, red pepper, asparagus, celery, peas.
Spices: Want some more garlic? A little basil? Maybe some extra heat? This Buttermilk dressing is a perfect base to add spices too.
Protein: You can turn this side dish into a main dish just by adding a protein like chicken. Pre cooked chicken or some rotisserie added to this pasta salad tastes incredible!
Be sure to check out some of my other favorite side dish recipes below!
And if you’re interested in creating more deliciousness with Hiland Dairy products, be sure to check out Hiland Dairy’s recipes too (including some created by yours truly!).
This Buttermilk Lemon Pasta Salad with buttermilk is going to be on high rotation this spring. It’s creamy from the homemade buttermilk dressing, but yet feels light from the lemon flavor, then packed with veggies and pasta. Topped with Feta cheese and walnuts for even more crunch.
1 package (16 oz) penne pasta (or pasta of choice)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half or fours
1 cup cucumber, diced
½ cup red onion, diced
1 cup green pepper, diced
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup roasted and salted walnuts
½ cup Hiland Dairy Buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
Zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Large pinch of salt and pepper, to taste
Boil the pasta according to package directions until all the way done. Drain and run cold water over the pasta. Set aside.
Cut the cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and green pepper and set aside.
Dressing: In a medium bowl, combine the mayo, Hiland Buttermilk, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Whisk together until smooth. Taste and adjust if more salt is needed.
In a large bowl, add the cooked and cooled pasta, the veggies, and pour the dressing over top. Mix and combine together so that all the pasta and veggies are coated in the dressing.
Add the feta cheese and walnuts to the top and combine again. Serve!
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