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Spring Pasta Salad with asparagus, fresh herbs, olives, and chickpeas.
My Spring Pasta Salad is a must-make in the asparagus season. It’s a quick and easy recipe, that’s also totally customizable with your favorite ingredients. Creamy tahini-pesto dressing makes this salad lighter and more refreshing than the classic mayo-based versions. Spring Pasta Salad is great as a main dish, or as a side for spring/summer barbecues. Plus it makes a really good lunch on-the-go.
This Spring Pasta Salad is a very simple recipe, but it’s also a good one, so I wanted to share with you today. It’s one of those no-fuss meals, that are customizable with whatever you have at home, so perfect to use up leftover veggies.
Asparagus, olives, and chickpeas are a great combo, but of course you can add whatever else you like. Tomatoes, cucumber, roasted zucchini, spinach, broccoli, or green peas, all yummy. Cooked beans, corn, or lentils are also great additions.
The sauce is a simple combination of vegan pesto, mustard and tahini. If you like your pasta salads a bit more saucy, you can double the amount of dressing, or add some vegan mayo or almond butter as well.
Just like any good pasta salad, this here is also best when served chilled. However you can also serve it immediately if you’re in a hurry. To finish off this awesome Spring Pasta Salad you can sprinkle it with fresh herbs, toasted nuts, or vegan feta cheese.
If you are looking for more spring/summer salads, here are some delicious recipes for you:
- Roasted Carrot Salad with tahini yogurt and carrot green drizzle
- Hummus Potato Salad with roasted eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper and onion
- Roasted New Potato & Asparagus Salad with lentils
- Greek style Mediterranean Orzo Salad
- Buckwheat Salad with roasted sweet potato, radishes, pine nuts and lemon dressing
- Green Tabbouleh with asparagus, avocado, mint and lemon
Spring Pasta Salad w/ Asparagus
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 9 oz/250 g pasta of your choice (use GF if needed)
- 14 oz/400 g green asparagus, cut into smaller pieces
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 1 bunch of mixed fresh herbs (such as basil, mint, parsley, chives, oregano), chopped
- 3.5 oz/100 g kalamata olives
- 2 cups/300 g cooked chickpeas
Dressing
- 2.5 tbsp vegan pesto (homemade or store-bought)
- 1.5 tbsp mustard
- 1.5 tbsp tahini
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 lemon, juice
- 1 tsp miso
- salt, pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta according package instructions, adding asparagus during the last 1 to 2 minutes of cooking time. Rinse and drain well, and transfer to a salad bowl.
- Add chopped shallots and herbs, olives, and chickpeas.
- For the dressing mix together vegan pesto, mustard, tahini, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, miso paste, and a large pinch of salt and pepper.
- Pour dressing over salad, and mix well together. Serve immediately or chilled. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
So springy, beautiful and delicious! I always love the bow tie pasta…so cute!
Same! They are my favorite type for pasta salad 😉
It looks delicious! I love that fresh green asparagus. Yum!!
Thanks, Anca 🙂
Each time I visit your webpage, I find myself drooling over the food you create. It is always so beautiful, so healthy, so tasty and so simple!
Aaaaw you are so sweet ❤️