diff --git a/.github/workflows/parallel_test.yml b/.github/workflows/parallel_test.yml
index b811cff94c..220df7463a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/parallel_test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/parallel_test.yml
@@ -25,16 +25,16 @@ jobs:
       - run: |
           touch Project.toml
           julia --project -O3 --check-bounds=no -e 'import Pkg; Pkg.add(["MPI", "MPIPreferences"]); using MPIPreferences; MPIPreferences.use_system_binary()'
-          julia --project -O3 --check-bounds=no -e 'import Pkg; Pkg.add(["NCDatasets", "Random", "SpecialFunctions", "Test"]); Pkg.develop(path="moment_kinetics/")'
+          julia --project -O3 --check-bounds=no -e 'import Pkg; Pkg.add(["Random", "SpecialFunctions", "Test"]); Pkg.develop(path="moment_kinetics/")'
           julia --project -O3 --check-bounds=no -e 'import Pkg; Pkg.precompile()'
           # Need to use openmpi so that the following arguments work:
           # * `--mca rmaps_base_oversubscribe 1` allows oversubscription (more processes
           #   than physical cores).
           # * `--mca mpi_yield_when_idle 1` changes a setting to prevent excessively
           #   terrible performance when oversubscribing.
-          mpiexec -np 3 --mca rmaps_base_oversubscribe 1 julia --project -O3 --check-bounds=no moment_kinetics/test/runtests.jl --debug 1 --force-optional-dependencies
-          mpiexec -np 4 --mca rmaps_base_oversubscribe 1 julia --project -O3 --check-bounds=no moment_kinetics/test/runtests.jl --debug 1 --force-optional-dependencies
-          mpiexec -np 2 --mca rmaps_base_oversubscribe 1 julia --project -O3 --check-bounds=no moment_kinetics/test/runtests.jl --debug 1 --long --force-optional-dependencies
+          mpiexec -np 3 --mca rmaps_base_oversubscribe 1 julia --project -O3 --check-bounds=no moment_kinetics/test/runtests.jl --debug 1
+          mpiexec -np 4 --mca rmaps_base_oversubscribe 1 julia --project -O3 --check-bounds=no moment_kinetics/test/runtests.jl --debug 1
+          mpiexec -np 2 --mca rmaps_base_oversubscribe 1 julia --project -O3 --check-bounds=no moment_kinetics/test/runtests.jl --debug 1 --long
           # Note: MPI.jl's default implementation is mpich, which has a similar option
           # `--with-device=ch3:sock`, but that needs to be set when compiling mpich.
         shell: bash
@@ -57,14 +57,14 @@ jobs:
           export MPILIBPATH=$(find /opt/homebrew/Cellar/open-mpi/ -name libmpi.dylib)
           touch Project.toml
           julia --project -O3 --check-bounds=no -e "import Pkg; Pkg.add([\"MPI\", \"MPIPreferences\"]); using MPIPreferences; MPIPreferences.use_system_binary(library_names=\"$MPILIBPATH\")"
-          julia --project -O3 --check-bounds=no -e 'import Pkg; Pkg.add(["NCDatasets", "Random", "SpecialFunctions", "Test"]); Pkg.develop(path="moment_kinetics/")'
+          julia --project -O3 --check-bounds=no -e 'import Pkg; Pkg.add(["Random", "SpecialFunctions", "Test"]); Pkg.develop(path="moment_kinetics/")'
           julia --project -O3 --check-bounds=no -e 'import Pkg; Pkg.precompile()'
           # Need to use openmpi so that the following arguments work:
           # * `--mca rmaps_base_oversubscribe 1` allows oversubscription (more processes
           #   than physical cores).
           # * `--mca mpi_yield_when_idle 1` changes a setting to prevent excessively
           #   terrible performance when oversubscribing.
-          mpiexec -np 4 --mca rmaps_base_oversubscribe 1 julia --project -O3 --check-bounds=no moment_kinetics/test/runtests.jl --debug 1 --force-optional-dependencies
+          mpiexec -np 4 --mca rmaps_base_oversubscribe 1 julia --project -O3 --check-bounds=no moment_kinetics/test/runtests.jl --debug 1
           # Note: MPI.jl's default implementation is mpich, which has a similar option
           # `--with-device=ch3:sock`, but that needs to be set when compiling mpich.
         shell: bash