Packed with spring veggies, this asparagus pasta salad is great for picnics, BBQs or for a summery lunch. With mustard and lemon dressing this pasta dish is easy to make and vegan.
Chargrilled asparagus, courgette (zucchini) and green peas add all the spring flavours to this pasta salad. Add in some sun-dried tomatoes, toasty pine nuts and a lemon mustard dressing and you have an epic vegan pasta salad. Perfect for taking to a picnic or BBQ.
This is so easy to make too! Just cook the pasta, grill some veggies and make the dressing, done! Chargrilling the asparagus and courgettes (zucchini) adds a toasty nutty flavour to the veggies, which is delicious! And the dressing for this pasta salad is zingy, garlicky and full of flavour. This pasta salad is also great warm so you don't really have to wait for it to be cold to eat it!
Here's What You'll Need
Step By Step Instructions
This is just a quick visual guide please see the full recipe instructions in the recipe card below.
1. Make the dressing - Add the mustard, garlic, and lemon juice to a bowl and whisk together. Slowly pour in the extra virgin olive oil whisking it into the mustard and lemon juice. Once you have added all the oil season with salt and pepper. Put the dressing in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
2. Cook the asparagus - Heat a large griddle pan then brush some oil on the pan. Add the asparagus and cook for about a few minutes, turning often to cook evenly. Cut into quarters then set aside on a plate. Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions.
3. Cook the courgettes (zucchini) - Place slices of courgettes on the griddle pan and cook for a couple of minutes then turn them over. Repeat until you have cooked all the courgettes. Toast the pinenuts and cook the peas.
4. Toss the pasta - Tip the pasta into a large serving bowl, add the asparagus, courgette, sun-dried tomatoes, and pine-nuts and toss well. You can pour in the dressing now and toss again or you can serve the dressing separately.
Recipe And Ingredient Notes
- Vegetables - Fresh is best for the asparagus and courgettes, I use frozen peas but if you have fresh peas then they will work too. This is a very easy recipe to adapt, you can add in more veggies if you want. Fresh cherry tomatoes work really well as do broad beans or edamame peas. You can also swap the spring onions (scallions) for finely chopped red onion.
- Pasta - You can really use almost any pasta for this dish, however, I would stick to short pasta such as penne or farfalle. You can also use whole wheat pasta too if you want and to make it gluten-free use your favourite gluten-free pasta.
- Oil - extra virgin olive oil is best for the dressing but you can use regular olive oil for the griddle.
- Cooking the veg - I use a griddle pan for the asparagus and courgettes, if you don't have one you can use a regular pan, or you can roast them in the oven. If you have the BBQ fired up then you could cook the veg on a flat grill pan or griddle.
How To Serve It
If we're having a BBQ I'll serve this as a side dish. I sometimes serve the dressing separately so people can add as much or as little as they want. If I'm bringing this to a BBQ I'll keep the dressing separately and add it in just before it's served. We have this as a main dish too, it's great for lunch or dinner.
FAQs About This Recipe
This salad will keep in the fridge for 2 days. I would recommend storing the dressing separately otherwise the veggies will get soggy.
You can make the dressing up to two days ahead if you need to. Just keep it covered in the fridge and give it a good stir before you use it. Everything else I would make on the day.
More Great Pasta Salad Recipes
- Broccoli Pasta Salad - a tasty, filling, and healthy pasta salad. This recipe is so easy to make and is perfect for bringing to potlucks, BBQs and for filling school lunch boxes!
- Orzo Pesto Salad - this tasty pasta salad combines creamy feta with juicy cherry tomatoes, salty kalamata olives with orzo, and a very quick lemon and pesto dressing.
- Caprese Pasta Salad - this has all the flavours of the classic Caprese salad. With juicy cherry tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and a balsamic dressing this pasta dish is so easy to make and is ready in under 20 minutes!
Have you made this recipe? Please let me know how it went in the comments, it’s nice to get your feedback.
Asparagus Pasta Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 clove of garlic put through a garlic press or finely grated.
- the juice of half a lemon ( 3 tablespoons)
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- ¾ cup of extra virgin olive oil
- ⅛ tsp sea salt + more if necessary
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper + more if necessary
For the pasta salad
- 300 g (4 cups) pasta dry weight
- 200 g (0.45lb / 7 oz) of asparagus spears woody ends snapped off
- 2 medium courgettes (zucchini) cut into medium thin slices
- ½ a cup of frozen peas
- 4 spring onions (scallions) finely chopped
- 8 sun-dried tomatoes thinly sliced
- 20 g (2 tbsp) pine nuts
Instructions
Make the dressing
- Add 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, 1 clove of minced garlic, 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of maple syrup to a bowl. Use a small whisk to stir it all together.Slowly pour in the extra virgin oil whisking all the time. Once all the oil has been added you should have a smooth creamy dressing.Pop it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
Make the pasta salad
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.Toast the pinenuts in a dry pan until golden brown and leave to cool.
- Heat a griddle pan to medium then brush it with oil.Cook the asparagus for 4 to 5 minutes turning them often so they are cooked evenly. They should be lightly charred and just fork tender. Depending on how big your pan is you may have to cook the asparagus in two batches. Set aside until you are ready to use them. Cut them into quarters when you are ready to add them to the pasta.Now cook the courgettes (zucchini). Cook each side for a minute or two then set aside. You will have to do this in batches.
- Add the cooked pasta to a large serving bowl. Add all the veg and toss well.You can add the dressing now if you are serving straight away. Pour the dressing into the pasta and veggies and toss well. Sprinkle the toasted pinenuts over the pasta salad just before you serve it.You can also serve the dressing on the side if you wish.
Notes
- Vegetables - Fresh is best for asparagus and courgettes. I use frozen peas but if you have fresh peas then they will work too. This is a very adaptable recipe, you can add in more veggies if you want. Fresh cherry tomatoes work really well as do broad beans or edamame peas. You can also swap the spring onions (scallions) for finely chopped red onion.
- Pasta - You can really use almost any pasta for this dish, however, I would stick to short pasta such as penne or farfalle. You can also use whole wheat pasta if you want and to make it gluten-free use your favourite gluten-free pasta.
- Oil - extra virgin olive oil is best for the dressing but you can use regular olive oil for the griddle.
- Cooking the veg - I use a griddle pan for the asparagus and courgettes, if you don't have one you can use a regular pan, or you can roast them in the oven. If you have the BBq on then you could cook the veg on a flat grill pan or griddle.
- Storing - This salad will keep in the fridge for 2 days. I would recommend storing the dressing separately otherwise the veggies will get soggy.
- Making ahead - You can make the dressing up to two days ahead if you need to. Just keep it covered in the fridge and give it a good stir before you use it. Everything else I would make on the day.
- Nutritional Information - is calculated using an online nutrition tool and is approximate.
- Weights and measurements - For US readers, I use Cuisipro measuring cups and spoons, and a Pyrex measuring jug for liquids. These are the industry standard. Cup/spoon volumes can differ from brand to brand, for accuracy, I recommend weighing all ingredients if possible for best results.
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