This skinny, ww approved pasta salad recipe is made with macaroni, Greek yogurt and apple cider vinegar, without any mayo. Plus, all your favorite macaroni salad toppings! What are yours?
Look how creamy this dressing is!!
Quick Tips and Tricks from Allie Carte
- Add any of your favorite pasta salad toppings
- Substitute the Splenda for any sugar or sugar substitute of your choosing
- Trust me, if you do not like Greek yogurt, you will still love this. You really do not taste it.
- I think chilling is essential; however, you can skip the chilling if time does not permit
- Double, triple, quadruple or more this recipe
- Yes, this is a very acid forward sauce. You can also replace the apple cider vinegar with lite Italian dressing if you want something with a lot less acidity.
We will go more in detail in the upcoming text.
What You Need for this Pasta Salad Recipe
As mentioned, this is a pasta salad with no mayo. We will substitute that with Greek yogurt. Trust me, I am not a Greek yogurt fan on its own; however, you do not taste it in this and it is REALLY GOOD. Did you know that Greek yogurt has protein. Added protein is always great!
If you are on ww, this is a fun way to make a skinny pasta salad recipe and stay within your points. All the ingredients are light and bright with the addition of the pasta for some carbs. Macaroni salad can be hard on weight watchers but when substituting the mayo for Greek yogurt, you can make a very light version.
- Macaroni
- Greek yogurt
- Apple cider vinegar
- Splenda
- Garlic salt
- Italian seasonings / basil
- Pasta salad ingredients
Let's go over some suggestions and substitutions
This is my macaroni salad with greek yogurt recipe; therefore, we will need some plain, non-fat Greek yogurt. I get it, not everyone loves Greek yogurt; however, you really do not taste it here. We will be seasoning and combining lots of ingredients. Plus, did you know that Greek yogurt has protein. Added protein is always great!
However, you can substitute that yogurt for mayo if you really want to.
I have also found that adding just 1 tablespoon of Mayo into the yogurt cuts the tartness.
Yes, this is a very acid forward sauce. You can also replace the apple cider vinegar with lite Italian dressing if you want something with a lot less acidity.
For the sugar in this pasta salad recipe, I use Splenda. However, you can use a different sugar substitute or just plain sugar.
Toppings:
You can see the toppings that I used; however, I will also suggest some additional ones. But, use any toppings that you love.
- Turkey pepperoni
- Red onion
- Bell pepper
- Celery
- Cherry tomatoes
- Parmesan
- Pickles
- Olives
I did not use the last two ingredients; however, I think they would taste very good in a pasta salad. Feel free to use any ingredients that you love.
How to Make Macaroni Salad with Greek Yogurt
It may seem like it takes a lot of time to do all the chilling; however, I find that layering and chilling works the best. But, if you are low on time, just mix it all and serve.
First, cook pasta according to the package instructions. Drain well and rinse under cold water until pasta is no longer warm. Shake the pasta in the strainer to get off as much water as possible. Place in an air-tight container in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. If worried about the pasta sticking, add a little oil and toss to coat.
Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a large bowl, the yogurt, vinegar, Splenda and seasonings. Let that set in the fridge until ready to combine.
When the pasta is cold, pour the sauce into the pasta container and toss to coat. Let set in the fridge for another 30 minutes, to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce and flavors.
While the pasta is chilling, chop up all the ingredients into bite-sized pieces, as small as you like. When the pasta is done chilling, combine the ingredients into the pasta container, tossing to coat. Let that all set in the fridge for another 30 minutes to allow the toppings with the macaroni salad to absorb the Greek yogurt sauce.
I know it seems like a lot to keep chilling the pasta after every step; however, this really allows each ingredient to absorb all of the flavors. But, as mentioned, you can skip this chilling process if short on time.
Food Pairings
I served this with my crock pot St. Louis style ribs for a truly All American BBQ experience.
You can also use my favorite veggie chopper to make things a whole lot easier.
Macaroni Salad with Greek Yogurt
This skinny, ww approved pasta salad recipe is made with macaroni, Greek yogurt and apple cider vinegar, without any mayo. Plus, all your favorite macaroni salad toppings! What are yours?
Macaroni Salad with Greek Yogurt
Ingredients
- 6 ounces pasta dry
- ⅓ cup plain, nonfat Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar or sub some lite Italian dressing
- ⅓ cup Splenda
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seaonsings
Toppings
- 1 celery stalk
- ½ bell pepper
- ¼ red onion
- 4 cherry tomatoes
- 12 slices turkey pepperoni
- 2 tablespoons reduced fat parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- First, cook pasta according to the package instructions. Drain well and rinse under cold water until pasta is no longer warm. Shake the pasta in the strainer to get off as much water as possible. Place in an air-tight container in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. If worried about the pasta sticking, add a little oil and toss to coat.
- Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a large bowl, the yogurt, vinegar, Splenda and seasonings. Let that set in the fridge until ready to combine.
- When the pasta is cold, pour the sauce into the pasta container and toss to coat. Let set in the fridge for another 30 minutes, to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce and flavors.
- While the pasta is chilling, chop up all the ingredients into bite-sized pieces, as small as you like. When the pasta is done chilling, combine the ingredients into the pasta container, tossing to coat. Let that all set in the fridge for another 30 minutes to allow the toppings to absorb the sauce.
Nutrition
This recipe makes about 3.5 cups of pasta salad, depending how much of the topping you use and how you cut them. I used ½ cup servings. Also, click here to automatically calculate your WW points. It was 4 points for me.
Karen Darland says
Hi Allie! I started following you on insta & you are really helping me with WW! Thank you. Quick question about this recipe. Do you really use 1/3 cup sugar? I used 4 packets of splenda & it was plenty sweet. ??? Tnx
alliecarte says
I do like mine pretty sweet; however, if 3 teaspoons work for you, go for that! Enjoy!!