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Asparagus and Pasta Salad

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This quick and easy Asparagus and Pasta Salad recipe has a bright flavor. This meatless pasta salad recipe includes asparagus, olives,tomatoes, and peppers.

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
Dressing Ingredients:
  • 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:

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  2. Steam asparagus for 6 – 8 minutes or until asparagus is tender. ( I use a pasta pot with a steamer basket).
  3. While the pasta and asparagus are cooking, mix the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Toss again before serving.

Printable Recipe for Asparagus and Pasta Salad

5.0 from 2 reviews
Asparagus and Pasta Salad
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Salad
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 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
Dressing Ingredients:
  • 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
  1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  2. Steam asparagus for 6 - 8 minutes or until asparagus is tender. ( I use a pasta pot with a steamer basket).
  3. While the pasta and asparagus are cooking, mix the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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

Meatless Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe

Southwest Ranch Tortellini Salad

About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

Comments

  2. Mary says

    March 21, 2012 at 12:13 pm

    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

    Reply

  4. Kelly says

    March 21, 2012 at 9:17 pm

    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!

    Reply

  6. Miz Helen says

    March 24, 2012 at 11:51 am

    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

    Reply

  7. Brandy @ The Prudent Homemaker says

    March 26, 2012 at 8:53 pm

    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!

    Reply

  8. Full Time Mama says

    March 26, 2012 at 10:41 pm

    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!

    Reply

  9. Amanda says

    March 26, 2012 at 10:42 pm

    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!

    Reply

  10. Amy says

    May 9, 2017 at 9:32 am

    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.

    Reply

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Welcome. I'm Alea!

On Premeditated Leftovers I share simple recipes made with whole foods, practical shopping tips, time saving techniques, and meal planning strategies. I also share tips for minimizing food waste, so more of the food that is purchased ends up on the table.

While volunteering as a budget counselor, I realized that food is the element of most people’s budgets where they have the greatest control. I set out to develop low-cost recipes from scratch to prove it’s possible to create delicious meals on a limited budget. Eating well while spending less is about more than just creating recipes using inexpensive ingredients; it’s about creatively combining ingredients so you don’t feel deprived and are inspired to stick to your budget.
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