Spring Pasta Salad

Spring Pasta Salad sides Pasta Salad loaded with spring veggies and a vibrant dressing made with spring herbs. Spring salads, pasta salads Spring Pasta Salad salads

This Spring pasta Salad with chickpeas, is a bright and refreshing dish full of Spring / Summery veggies: peas, asparagus, radishes and fresh herbs. It is perfect for lunch, dinner or meal prep. It is tossed in a very spring forward herby lemon dressing. It is easy to make and full of flavor and delicious textures.

Spring Pasta Salad

Spring Pasta Salad Recipe Ingredients

  • ASPARAGUS: You can’t have a spring salad without taking advantage of in season asparagus.
  • GREEN PEAS: Green peas are sweet with a tender-firm texture that pops when bitten. They are a great source of plant-based protein.
  • PASTA: Any short pasta shape/ gluten-free or regular is fine.
  • CHICKPEAS: We love chickpeas but if you prefer white beans / cannellini beans, pinto beans or a bean medley fee free to use whatever beans you prefer
  • RADISHES: Radishes are considered a quintessential spring vegetable. They add a refreshing, sharp crunch, and a peppery bite to salads and add bright vibrant color.
  • FETA CHEESE: This salad goes so well with the salty briny feta but this would be great with soft goat cheese or even grated Parmesan cheese.
  • OLIVES: Olives add a burst of salty, briny flavor to the pasta salad. We chose green olives to stay on theme for spring but any olives you like will do.
  • RADICCHIO & ARUGULA: Both arugula and radicchio are vibrant bitter greens for spring and the perfect add in to this pasta salad. If you prefer to do one or the other feel free to or replace them with hearty chopped greens like kale. If you know you’ll be eating this pasta salad over a few days, keep the arugula and radicchio separate and mix it in fresh with each portion so they don’t get soggy.
  • SHALLOT: I like to use shallot for a sweeter finish but you could definitely swap it out for red onion or even green onions.
  • PISTACHIOS: They add salty crunch to each bite. If you prefer to use pumpkin seeds or toasted chopped almonds, that works too. We like to use toasted and lightly salted pistachios but raw pistachios are also fine.

Spring Pasta Salad

For the Dressing

The bright green herb salad dressing takes an ordinary salad to the next level. It’s packed with flavour, natural vibrant colour using a blend of springtime herbs!

  • OLIVE OIL: I use extra-virgin olive oil for the dressing.
  • LEMON JUICE & LEMON ZEST: We use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the dressing plus lemon zest for extra flavor.
  • GARLIC: The garlic is for the dressing, I like to use fresh but dried garlic powder works too. Use as little or as much as you like
  • HONEY: This sweetens the dressing and can easily be swapped with maple syrup or even sugar
  • DIJON MUSTARD: Dijon mustard in salad dressing tastes tangy, sharp, and slightly spicy, giving it depth, bright acidity, and a velvety, emulsified texture.
  • FRESH HERBS: We like to use a blend of spring fresh herbs - our favorite blend includes fresh parsley, chives or green onions, dill and mint. Any combination of fresh herbs will work here. Choose your favorites.

Spring Pasta Salad

Spring Pasta Salad

How to Make Spring Pasta Salad:

  1. Cook Pasta: It couldn’t be easier. Simply start by cooking the pasta. Before it finishes cooking add in the peas and asparagus for a quick blanch. Then drain, rinse with cold water and then strain.
  2. Make Dressing: Blend the dressing ingredients together in a mini chopper or blender until smooth and creamy.
  3. Toss in Veggies, Cheese & Herbs: Combine the pasta, peas and asparagus with remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss well to combine

Spring Pasta Salad

How To Serve This Spring Pasta Salad

  • Straight from the bowl: The noodles and all of the vegetables make this salad plenty filling for a light meal.
  • Add a protein: If you want to add even more protein add in some cooked or grilled chicken, steak, shrimp or even tuna.
  • As a side dish: I typically serve this as a side with grilled meats, burgers or sandwiches.

Make Ahead & Storage Recommendations

  • MAKE AHEAD: This is great to make several hours in advance of serving because it’s best when served chilled. You can even cook the pasta along with the peas and asparagus - cook and dress and chill for up to a day ahead. Toss in the radicchio and arugula just before serving so they stay fresh. The dressing keeps 1 week in the fridge so it can easily be made ahead. As the dressing settles the herbs will sink to the bottom. Shake up the jar before serving. Once the dressing has been stored in the fridge, it may thicken. Let it come to room temperature before serving or place the jar in a bowl of warm water or run closed jar under warm water.
  • STORAGE: Place leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days. Before serving again, give it a good stir, taste and season again as needed. If it seems a bit dry after chilling, just stir in a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon before serving. If you know you’ll be eating it over a few days, keep the arugula and radicchio separate and mix it in fresh with each portion.

Spring Pasta Salad

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Recipe

Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

For the Spring Herb Dressing

  • 1 cup fresh parsley, packed
  • 1 cup mixed spring herbs (cilantro, chives, dill and mint),packed
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1 small clove of garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon or wholegrain mustard
  • ¼-½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • Black pepper to taste

For the Salad

  • 8-10 ounces Asparagus (approx 2 cups sliced 1 inch pieces)
  • 1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
  • 12 oz short pasta (approx 340 grams)
  • 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 4-5 radishes, finely sliced into matchsticks
  • ½ cup feta Cheese, crumbled
  • ¼ cup chopped pitted green olives
  • 1 small head of radicchio, cored and roughly chopped ( approx 1 ½ cups)
  • 1½ cups baby arugula
  • ¼ cup chopped Pistachios
  • 1 small shallot, peeled and minced

Directions

  1. Cook Pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta to the pot and cook to the al dente package instructions. 2-3 minutes prior to draining (or 2-3 mins less than cooking time on package directions), add the fresh peas and the asparagus and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until both the pasta, peas and asparagus are tender. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool.
  2. Make the dressing: Add all the fresh herbs (2 cups in total), oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, Dijon, honey, garlic, salt, pepper to a mini chopper or blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Thin out with a little water if needed to reach desired consistency, and test and season with more salt and paper.
  3. Assemble: Transfer the cooled, drained pasta, peas and asparagus to a large mixing bowl, then add in the chickpeas, radishes, feta, olives, radicchio, arugula, pistachios, shallots and the feta cheese. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until well-combined.
  4. Serve: Serve immediately.This pasta salad will keep for several days in the fridge but it’s at its best the day you make it, when the lettuces are crisp.

Recipe Note

  • Store your pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. If you know you’ll be eating it over a few days, keep the arugula and radicchio separate and mix it in fresh with each portion. The flavors actually deepen and get better as it sits.

Spring Pasta Salad