This Spring Pasta Salad is filled with fresh veggies like asparagus, peas, and artichokes for the best healthy vegan side dish. Plus, It's topped with a lemon basil vinaigrette that makes it the perfect Green Goddess Pasta salad recipe!
There is nothing better than a vegetable pasta salad in the Summer.
Between my Herby Potato Salad, Mediterranean Orzo Salad, and this new asparagus artichoke pasta salad, I have you covered with everyone's favorite side dish!
Ingredients:
Ingredient notes:
- Marinated Artichokes: To make this artichoke pasta salad taste amazing, we are using canned marinated artichoke hearts. You'll want to strain the excess marinade before adding the artichokes to the pasta salad, but using marinated artichokes gives this dish a ton of flavor.
- Pasta: Any shape of pasta works, but I recommend a shorter spiral shape as this tends to work best with the lemon basil vinaigrette.
How to make green goddess pasta salad
Cook pasta & blanch veggies
First, cook the pasta in salted boiling water. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add in the asparagus and frozen peas. This helps to blanch the veggies so they have a tender texture and retain their bright green color.
Make the basil lemon vinaigrette
While the pasta is cooking, make the lemon basil dressing. Add the fresh basil, lemon juice, lemon zest, dijon mustard, garlic, olive oil, salt, & pepper to a blender and blend until smooth.
Mix & chill in the fridge
Add the cooked pasta, blanched asparagus and peas, marinated artichoke hearts, cooked chickpeas, red onion, scallions, and basil to a large mixing bowl.
Then, pour on the lemon basil vinaigrette and toss everything together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for a few hours or up to 24 hours before serving.
Serve with toasted pine nuts
Top the cold vegetable pasta salad with toasted pine nuts and fresh basil. Then, serve and enjoy as the perfect vegan side dish!
FAQ & Tips:
What pasta works best in this asparagus artichoke pasta salad?
I recommend a shorter spiral pasta as that holds onto the vinaigrette better. If you want to make this a gluten-free pasta salad, just swap in gluten-free pasta.
Can I use a different dressing?
Definitely! While I love the really light flavor of basil and lemon in this spring pasta salad, other dressings work just as well.
You could try out the cilantro tahini dressing I used in my Veggie Quinoa Bowls, the orange curry dressing in my Fall Harvest Bowl, or even use your favorite store-bought dressing.
How do I store leftover pasta salad?
Pasta Salad can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for 4-5 days. In fact, it's actually the best if eaten 5- 24 hours after it is made so the vegetables can soak up the flavor of the dressing.
I don't recommend freezing pasta salad as some of the ingredients could get soggy when defrosting.
I can't wait for you to try this delicious & light Spring Pasta Salad. With artichokes, asparagus, basil, and peas- it truly celebrates the best flavors of the season!
-TSG
More healthy salads & grain bowls you will love:
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Spring Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Pasta & Veggies
- 8 ounces dried pasta any shape
- ½ bunch asparagus about 2 cups chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas if using fresh skip blanching
- 8 ounces cooked chickpeas About ½ can of cooked chickpeas
- 3 scallions finely diced
- 8 ounces canned marinated artichoke hearts strain out excess marinade
- ½ red onion finely diced
- ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil
Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
- ½ cup fresh basil
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice 1 lemon juiced
- ½ Tablespoon lemon juice zest of 1 lemon
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon salt add more or less depending on preference
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Garnishes
- ¼ cup fresh basil optional, as garnish
- 2-4 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts optional, as garnish
Instructions
- First, prep the veggies. Chop the asparagus into 2-inch-long pieces. Finely dice the red onion and scallions. Cut the artichoke hearts into smaller chunks if desired. Thinly slice the basil into long strips. Strain the chickpeas if using canned chickpeas. Once done, set all the vegetables aside.
- Next, cook the pasta in boiling water according to the package instructions. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add in the chopped asparagus and frozen peas and blanch in the boiling water to soften. If using fresh peas, do not add them to the water. Then, strain the pasta and vegetables in a colander and run them under cold water to stop them from cooking further.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the lemon basil vinaigrette. Add the basil, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, dijon mustard, garlic clove, salt, and pepper to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add the cooked pasta, blanched asparagus & peas, chickpeas, diced red onion, diced scallions, sliced basil, and artichoke hearts to a large mixing bowl. Then, pour over the lemon basil vinaigrette.
- Toss everything together until the pasta and veggies are completely coated in the dressing. Then, cover with a lid or plastic wrap and add to the fridge to chill for 2-24 hours. You can also eat the pasta salad right away, but the flavors get better if left to sit and chill.
- Serve with optional fresh basil and toasted pine nuts on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- The dressing in this recipe is really light and fresh. If you would like a heavier dressing, feel free to double the dressing for this recipe or even mix in vegan mayo for a more classic pasta salad texture
- Pasta Salad can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for 4-5 days. In fact, it's actually the best if eaten 5- 24 hours after it is made so the vegetables can soak up the flavor of the dressing.
- I don't recommend freezing pasta salad as some of the ingredients don't keep as well in the freezer.
- If you'd like to add more ingredients, this pasta salad also tastes great with chopped green olives, capers, vegan parmesan, cherry tomatoes, fresh dill, diced cucumbers, or arugula added in.
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