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Creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad in white serving bowl with serving spoon.
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5 from 5 votes

Creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad

Creamy Cucumber Pasta Salad is a fresh spin on pasta salad and one of our all-time summer favorites!  It’s light yet satisfying, simple to make, and just as welcome at a backyard barbecue as it is for an easy lunch. Make it ahead, keep it chilled, and you’ve got a side dish that’s ready to steal the show!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Side Dishes - Salads
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 8
Author: Carol | From A Chef's Kitchen

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 pound rotini, fusilli, penne or other short pasta
  • Salt plus more for dressing
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 medium English cucumbers (2 pounds) peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped (4 cups)
  • 1 bunch large scallions white and light green part only, coarsely chopped (scant 1 cup)
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 bag (12-ounce) frozen peas thawed under cold tap water
  • Fresh dill sprigs for garnish if desired

Instructions

  • Cook pasta in salted water per package directions. Drain and rinse to cool. Drain again.
  • While pasta is cooking, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, honey, cucumber, scallions, dill and salt and black pepper to taste in a food processor or blender.
  • Process until smooth or almost smooth (a little chunky is fine.)
  • Toss drained pasta with the dressing, add peas, garnish with fresh dill sprigs, and serve. Serve warm or chilled.

Notes

Recipe from 2017 retested and updated.
SUBSTITUTIONS:
  • Thick Greek yogurt makes a great substitute for sour cream.
MAKE AHEAD:
  • Dressing can be made 1-2 days ahead of time.  Refrigerate until needed.
  • Pasta can be cooked 1 day ahead of time.  Toss with a bit of oil and refrigerate.
TIPS:
  • To serve at room temperature, cook pasta to al dente (tender with a slight bite.) If making ahead, cook a little past the al dente stage since pasta firms up as it cools.
  • The dressing makes plenty. Pasta absorbs dressing, so reserve some to refresh later. We prefer it saucy, but adjust to taste.
  • Extra dressing? It’s excellent over baked or poached salmon.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 483kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 207mg | Potassium: 280mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 286IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg