Black Garlic Yogurt Pasta Salad
Once the weather heats up just a bit, I immediately start making weekly batches of dressing, for all my salads. And by salads, I don’t just mean heaps of fresh greens (which has its place in my meal rotation), but also pasta salads, soba noodle salads, fruit salads. I love the flexibility of these dishes – I can throw in anything fresh in my fridge and with a good dressing, have a delicious, simple, quick meal. My current go-tos, labeled and stored in my trusty mason jars, are this black garlic yogurt dressing I’m sharing below, Laura’s sunflower cider dressing, and a sesame miso dressing. It’s a great variety for my tastes – one that’s savory and tangy, one light and packed with subtle nutty flavor, and a creamy umami dressing. Today, I’ll be sharing with you the recipe for black garlic yogurt pasta salad, but in truth you could use this dressing for anything. Dips, say, or even as a creamy bed under cooked vegetables!!
It’s been surreal since I’ve gotten back. A whirlwind of work, shoots, and weddings. I’ve started rotations in the hospital, and I’m still trying to get used to it, which I better do quickly since I won’t have a break until December! My hours are from around 7 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, and now I finally understand, truly, the difficulties of having a blog while working full time. To all of you out there doing that, I bow to you, and please teach me your ways! So, still trying to balance my time for medicine, work, and me-time. Tips are appreciated :). Currently surviving on hardcore list making and schedule planning, and of course meal planning. So making these dressings to last for the week really speeds things up. All I need to do is prep the ingredients and everything comes together smoothly.
Actually, one of my favorite dishes from the Milia retreat in Greece (post coming soon!!!!) was a pasta salad, and since then I’ve been dying to recreate it in my own way, with greek yogurt as the main base. Black garlic adds a savory twist to this tangy dressing, and it’s less “spicy” than raw garlic and has a warm, nutty garlicky flavor to it. As I mentioned before, Greece was where I fell in love with beans, and since then I’ve always had beans available. I’m still obsessed with giant beans, but these little vaqueros are mild yet flavorful as well, a perfect addition to salads and soups. Plus, aren’t they gorgeous?
A big part about any dressing is the oil, and olive oil is by far my favorite. Ever since I started using california olive ranch and actually visited its groves and witnessed its harvesting, I’ve been obsessed. I dip bread into this olive oil, drizzle it over everything, and of course, use it liberally in my dressings. Even when I’m making a dressing that calls for a “flavor-neutral oil”, I opt for my extra virgin olive oil, because the taste is truly subtle and I’d much rather use this high quality olive oil than canola. Plus, EVOO is good for you – it’s a healthy fat and contains polyphenols that act as antioxidants. You can read more about the health benefits here.
This post is sponsored by california olive ranch. All opinions expressed are purely my own, as always. Thank you so much for supporting the companies that support this blog. Their olive oil is truly amazing and is the oil I use on a daily basis – for cooking, salads, topping, pestos, etc…
RECIPE: Black Garlic Yogurt Pasta Salad
Black Garlic Yogurt Dressing
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp fresh dill
2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
grated lemon zest
juice of half lemon
3 cloves black garlic, minced
black pepper and salt to taste
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (california olive ranch is the best!)1/2cooked beans (I used the lovely Vaquero bean)
1 tbsp capers
2 tbsp sun dried tomato
1 tsp red pepper flakes
seasonal greens, such as mizuna!!!
1 stalk scallion, chopped
8 oz pasta, cooked (elbow, shell, rotini)
Combine all ingredients in dressing (yogurt, dill, parsley, zest, lemon juice, black garlic) in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Slowly drizzle in olive oil and blend until smooth.
Toss pasta, cooked beans, capers, tomato, greens, and scallion with yogurt dressing and adjust for taste with black pepper and salt! Give an extra drizzle of olive oil and serve chilled or at room temperature. Enjoy!
I don’t have any other than being well organised. And I think you are, you can juggle so many things around. The salad looks awesome and I like to try new dressings, thanks for sharing <3
Lists and wall planner calendars, but I’m sure you do that already! And I sneak in blog post writing or photo editing or other jobs if I have gaps in the day at the hospital. My main exams are in November and uggghh I don’t even want to think about them – I’ll be posting less next semester, that’s for sure!! And I LOVE the sound of this dressing and pasta salad – I need to track down some black garlic (PS is the recipe for the sesame miso dressing you mentioned around?! would love to try it!)
Cheers to gigantes…they are my favorite…hard to find around here…happy feasting.
Well this looks SO GOOD. And I can’t wait for your pasta salad recipe inspired by Crete! I’m gonna have to make it. xo
This combination sounds absolutely delicious…would you believe me if I told you I have never had black garlic!? That needs to change asap! Thanks for the inspo!
Rotations at the hospital? How have I missed this – and I’m fascinated! Please share more about this if you don’t mind? And I bow down to you because you do about four different jobs as near as I can tell. (And this isn’t a veiled plea to return my email – our paths will cross when it is meant to be.)
Gurl, I feel you. You are juggling three jobs! I got overwhelmed just trying to navigate my photo work plus blog. (I haven’t figured it out.) I’m all over this salad though. I think this dressing is genius.
This looks SO GOOD!!! A definite must try – perfect because olive oil is one of my all time staples in the kitchen!! – CK
How I wish I had a bowl of this in front of me betty! No joke, I’m not a big pasta person, but looking at this combination with that creamy dressing has me wanting to bolt to the store to pick up a package. I love hearing about your life, mainly cause I miss you so it makes me feel like I’m there with you ;). Hoping balance comes soon with your new work schedule in full swing, friend, always remember the power of saying “no” to things when you can for your sanity. Love love love you. xx
I agree with everyone else who commented, staying organized is key! But, I do think there is also something to be said for giving yourself grace and not getting down if something doesn’t get done when you want it to. I work early hours in my day job, so sometimes I try to squeeze in blog stuff before/after. Other days it doesn’t happen, and you know what? That’s ok! Stressing myself out over it isn’t going to propel my career forward any faster 🙂 Cheers to this savory salad and sending you all the good vibes for starting your rotations soon!
I have no idea how you are managing everything! You are good at so many things- choosing and balancing is such a feat. I feel inspired to seek out black garlic because it’s sounds so complex and intriguing. And I’m completely in love with this wood surface! I feel like I’ve been looking for something like this for so long. Is this an old table or is it a food photog surface that you were able to order?
Betty this dressing/dip/all the things sounds amazing!!!! I love black garlic but have never made something with it. And ooOoOOoo I love that striped shirt. It’s adorable <3
Mmmm… I recently picked up vaqueros at Rancho Gordo. The bean broth is super tasty when added as a substitute for water in bone broth. Have you ever tried corona beans? They are white and incredibly fat, also super creamy and a little sweet. I’ve never seen black garlic before: where did you find it?
YES I love corona! I actually use those instead of true Greek gigante beans, because I can only find corona in specialty food stores here. And I love it. I found black garlic at my local Whole Foods :).
You amaze me. It sounds like you have so much on your plate and yet your recipes and post are just as beautiful as ever. Learn to stay no, stay organized, don’t fret the small stuff. Now off to get my hands on some black garlic! x
Good luck with the new hospital job! It’ll be crazy for a bit trying to adjust to that new schedule, but I’m sure you’ll master it in no time. You’re already a pro at juggling multiple projects. Also, this pasta salad sounds amazing!! xoxo
I am obsessed with black garlic! What a great way to use it. It probably sounds weird but as for balancing work, blogging and me-time, I find that meditating for a tiny 10 minutes a day helps and exercising too. It’s well invested time that puts me in the best mindset possible to make sure that, even if I have a busy day, I get through it with a smile on my face and without stressing out about the gazillions of other things I need to get done. ( :
Love this super delicious looking salad!!!! Beautiful end presentation. Perfect for my summer diet:)