Tzatziki Pasta Salad

June 28, 2012
Every summer, my parents’ garden grows a plethora of cucumbers. For real. One of the great joys I get from not having my own garden is weaning off of theirs. I take bags full of cucumbers home from their house every weekend.
This year however, my dad was a little slow to plant the cucumber seeds and we have yet to have a cucumber. Wait…actually, I take that back. He DID plant the seeds, only he then forgot where they were. So, he, my mom, and I had to try and scope out little baby cucumber plants. Maybe it’s old age, eh pops?
My mom, in her ever-loving patience, went to the store and purchased little baby cucumber plants to try and speed up the growing process. Somehow, they just weren’t growing. My dad likes to think that the blame falls on my brother’s dog, Ollie, who broke into the garden and trampled the little guys without knowing what he was doing.
I swear to God, my dad knelt down and cradled the little plants like they were his dying children. I feel kind of bad for him and his plants.
I still have faith that they’ll boom and we will have more cucumbers than we know what to do with as usual. But, until then, I will be paying for my wonderful summer cucumbers and making lots of salads, especially this one!
Ingredients (Serves 4-6)
1 Cup Orzo Pasta
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
Salt and Pepper to Taste
3 Tablespoons Plain Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Fresh Dill, chopped
1 Teaspoon Fresh Parsley, chopped
1 Cup Grated Cucumber
Bring a medium pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add the orzo pasta and boil for six minutes.
While the pasta is boiling, get together the ingredients for the dressing. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper, yogurt, olive oil, dill and parsley to a large salad bowl. Whisk to combine.
Drain the pasta when it is done cooking. Allow it to cool before combining it with the tzatziki sauce. In the meantime, grate a cup of cucumber. Try and not place excess liquid from the grated cucumber into the bowl.
Add the cooled pasta to the sauce in the salad bowl. Mix in the grated cucumber. Chill for twenty minutes and then serve.
This goes great with some grilled pita slices!

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  • Nicole
    October 4, 2012 at 12:03 pm

    This looks amazing! (I LOVE tzatziki) However, i tried to make it last night and it. was. salty! Did I screw something up?

    • Stefanie
      October 4, 2012 at 12:10 pm

      Oh no! I’m so sorry. I always hate putting measurements for salt and pepper because some people like me like things saltier. I will adjust the recipe to salt and pepper to taste.

  • Dolly
    July 10, 2012 at 10:21 am

    Stefanie – this TZATZIKI PASTA SALAD is fantastic! I made it Sunday with some cukes from my garden, and it was delicious. It was also great as leftovers the next day. Will definitely make it again! Thanks. Dolly

    • Stefanie
      July 10, 2012 at 12:55 pm

      Woo hoo! Thanks Dolly! I am so so so glad you liked it!

  • Leah
    July 3, 2012 at 9:08 pm

    Wow, this looks really great! Perfect for summer!

  • Mary Ellen @ Pâte à Chew
    July 3, 2012 at 7:53 am

    This is lovely, tzatziki is my favorite condiment/dip/primary food group, so adding it to pasta salad is genius!

  • Anita at Hungry Couple
    June 29, 2012 at 6:32 pm

    Sounds great. I love cucumbers and am always looking for more ways to use them.

  • Jennie @themessybakerblog
    June 29, 2012 at 10:19 am

    1. I adore tzatziki sauce. I could put it on anything. 2. This dish looks amazing. How creative. Thanks for sharing.

  • Jen @ Jen's Favorite Cookies
    June 29, 2012 at 9:52 am

    This is the greatest salad idea I have seen in a while. I seriously love tzatziki sauce!

  • Jenna@LittleKitchenBigFlavors
    June 28, 2012 at 6:33 pm

    I love a good, healthy side dish. And for some reason, I’ve really been into cooking with yogurt lately. I am saving this recipe!

  • DB-The Foodie Stuntman
    June 28, 2012 at 5:23 pm

    Looks refreshing!

  • MissMessy
    June 28, 2012 at 3:12 pm

    Yum! Just to let you know i have nominated you for an award. Check it out at my blog 🙂 http://messmakesfood.blogspot.co.uk/

    • Stefanie
      June 29, 2012 at 7:43 am

      Thanks that was really sweet!