Lemon Asparagus Pasta Salad
Lemon and asparagus is a delightful spring combo, and this Lemon Asparagus Pasta Salad is perfectly bursting with spring flavors. Peas, asparagus, and artichokes come together in an lemon vinaigrette, making this the perfect side dish for a dinner party or a light spring lunch.
Spring Vegetables For A Spring Pasta Salad
There is something special about the first vegetables of spring.
Asparagus, peas, and artichokes are some of our favorites.
They're the perfect way to shake away the cold winter weather and look forward to growing season and sunshiny days.
Our Lemon Asparagus Pasta Salad
Lemon is the perfect complement to these light and fresh vegetables.
We just love the lemon asparagus combo!
And a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese adds a little creaminess and salt to this dish, making it just robust enough to eat as a light lunch.
But, it also works wonderfully as a side dish to go along with some roasted chicken or a filet of salmon.
Heck, go ahead and add some shredded chicken or grilled shrimp right on top of your bowl of lemon asparagus pasta salad and call it a very complete and satisfying springtime meat!
Lemon Asparagus Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- ½ lb pasta, dry (bow ties or other short pasta)
- ½ lb asparagus
- 1 (12 oz) jar Artichoke hearts, drained
- 1 c peas, thawed if frozen
- 1 large lemon, juiced and zested (roughly ⅓ c juice)
- ¼ c olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ c fresh grated Parmesan cheese (more if desired)
Instructions
- In a medium soup pan, heat 1 quart of water to boiling. Add a dash of salt and uncooked pasta. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until aldente. Drain pasta, rinse with cool water to stop it from cooking, drain again, and set aside.
- In a large sauce pan, heat 1 quart of water to boiling. Trim the woody ends from the asparagus spears (discard the ends). Add the tender asparagus shoots to the boiling water. Blanch the asparagus for 1-2 minutes, until bright green and crisp-tender.
- Remove the blanched asparagus from the water and chop it into pieces about the length of your pasta. Add the chopped asparagus to the cooked pasta along with the artichokes and peas.
- In a small bowl or 1 cup liquid measure (for easy pouring), whisk together lemon juice and zest, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Pour the dressing over the pasta and veggies.
- Add the Parmesan cheese to the pasta and toss to coat everything with the cheese and dressing.
- Eat salad room temperature or chill for 30 min to 1 hour to enjoy cold.
Notes
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
Leftover pasta which I sometimes eat as a cold salad! 🙂
Cold pasta salads make such a great, quick lunch!
My favorite lunch combo is pita bread and hummus and celery and peanut butter
Celery and pb rocks!
For lunch, I love eating flatbreads and fresh fruit
Spinach salad and soup!
Leftovers, especially left over soups.
I like making a fresh salad in the morning for lunch and adding in different ingredients to change it up each day. Some of my favorite add ins are beets, black beans, low-fat cheese, and slivered almonds.
Beets and almonds sounds great for a salad!
Cheese sandwiches
Nice! What kind of cheese?
When my supper is done, I fix a divider plate with some of the dinner that I take for my lunch the next day.
Some nights we'll do the same. It makes the mornings so easy!