My youngest son loves asparagus. It is one of the few green vegetables that he likes, so I am always experimenting with new ways to serve it. I decided to try it in a pasta salad, but I usually only put raw vegetables in my pasta salads and I knew that wouldn't fly. Instead of sauteeing the asparagus as he prefers, I steamed it which was the perfect compromise.
I used a large pasta pot that has a steamer basket to steam the asparagus while cooking the pasta. This saved me time and meant I had one less pan to wash at the end of the day. You can see how easy this salad is to make in the video:
The dressing on this salad is not a traditional dressing that you would use on a garden salad. It has a zesty lemon flavor that is intended to subtly enhance the flavors of the vegetables in the salad without overpowering them. These are the long-handled measuring spoons I use to measure honey and spices from the bottom of deep jars.
Asparagus and Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
- 16 oz. pasta (Use gluten-free rotini to make this gluten-free)
- 2 lbs. asparagus, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 – 16 oz. can olives, drained
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 sweet pepper, diced
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 2 – 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ teaspoon rosemary
- pinch of salt
- dash pepper
Directions:
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Steam asparagus for 6 – 8 minutes or until asparagus is tender. ( I use a pasta pot with a steamer basket).
- While the pasta and asparagus are cooking, mix the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl.
- When the pasta is al dente, drain the water and rinse the pasta under cold water until the pasta is cool. When the asparagus is fork tender, remove it and let it sit to cool.
- Add the olives, tomatoes, and peppers to the bowl. Then add the asparagus and pasta. Toss to thoroughly coat the pasta and veetables with the dressing.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Toss again before serving.
Printable Recipe for Asparagus and Pasta Salad
- 16 oz. pasta (I use brown rice pasta to make this gluten-free)
- 2 lbs.
asparagus, cut into bite-size pieces - 1 16 oz. can olives, drained
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 sweet pepper, diced
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ teaspoon rosemary
- pinch of salt
- dash pepper
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- Steam asparagus for 6 - 8 minutes or until asparagus is tender. ( I use a pasta pot with a steamer basket).
- While the pasta and asparagus are cooking, mix the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl.
- When the pasta is al dente, drain the water and rinse the pasta under cold water until the pasta is cool. When the asparagus is fork tender, remove it and let it sit to cool.
- Add the olives, tomatoes, and peppers to the bowl. Then add the asparagus and pasta. Toss to thoroughly coat the pasta and veetables with the dressing.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Toss again before serving.
My daughter arrived home after a long day of school and work and was so hungry she dove into the salad while it was still warm. She was quite effusive in her praise, but starving college students are lavish in their praise of any home-cooked meal. I preferred the salad after it had chilled in the refrigerator and the flavors had time to mingle.
More Pasta Salad Recipes
Italian Pasta Salad with Grilled Pork
Jenn says
I love asparagus and I’m always looking for ways to cook it! Thank you for sharing!
Mary says
This is a lovely salad and the dressing is just perfect for it. This is my first visit to your blog,so I took some time to browse through your earlier posts. I’m so glad I did that. I really like the food and recipes you share with your readers and I’ll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Beth @ Aunt B's Kitchen says
I find myself looking for signs of spring too. 🙂 This salad looks marvellous.
Kelly says
Mmmm, looks yummy. My husband brought home a pound of asparagus the other day, so I guess I know what to do with it now!
Kristi says
Oh, yum! I think I’ll try this today!!
Miz Helen says
Thank you so much for sharing your great recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great Spring week end and come back to see me real soon!
Miz Helen
Brandy @ The Prudent Homemaker says
This sounds delicious!
I’m not high desert–just regular desert. I know high desert has serious gardening challenges. Here we grow asparagus. It’s certainly warm, though–our fig tree is leafing out!
Full Time Mama says
We love asparagus, but I’ve never had it in a pasta salad before! Sounds like a delicious way to mix it up a bit!
Thanks so much for sharing with Delicious Dish Tuesday!
Amanda says
Wow $0.99 a pound already? I guess we are still a little west of you and haven’t gotten quite that sale price yet. I love asparagus and will make sure to have this recipe on hand the next time it goes on sale. I am really intrigued to try the dressing. Thanks so much for sharing once again at Delicious Dish Tuesday!
Amy says
Alea, this salad just jumped right off of the page when I saw it. I love asparagus and I love pasta salad. I also like that you made your own dressing. Thank you for sharing at Tasty Tuesdays link party. Pinned and shared. I can’t wait to make this salad.
Gentle Joy Homemaker says
Mmmm… this looks good… and healthy too. My family would love the olives in it. 🙂
Erlene says
Yummy! This sounds like a wonderful pasta salad for the hot summer months. Thanks for sharing this on Merry Monday. Pinned.
Lynn White says
Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty! I’m always looking for quick and easy recipes.