This Asparagus pasta salad is fresh, easy to make and perfect spring or summer side dish. It comes together quickly and has a bright, vinaigrette style lemon dressing and loads of fresh herbs. A great packed lunch, or served as a delicious side to the summer bbq or picnic.
This fresh asparagus and pea pasta salad is an easy spring and summer recipe loaded with flavor. Tender asparagus, sweet peas, creamy feta, fresh dill and basil all tossed with perfectly cooked pasta and a light and bright lemon dressing. Also see this Asparagus Orzo Salad.
The spring pasta salad is easy and fast to make, a great crowd pleaser that can be also be prepared ahead of time for meal prep. Serve as a side for all your summer parties and BBQs. Just like these other light summer pasta salads, Artichoke pasta salad or this Sun dried tomato pasta salad.
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Ingredients
This Lemon asparagus pasta salad is easy to make with just a few ingredients listed below. For the full written recipe with the quantities, see the recipe card at the bottom.
- Pasta, use a dried pasta of choice. In this salad I have used fusilli. Other good pasta options for salad are bowtie, farfalle, gemelli or orecchiette pasta.
- Red onion, thinly sliced. Ads a wonderful crunch and bite to this salad. Spring onions or shallots are another great option. Or use pickled red onions for a milder flavor.
- Feta cheese, crumbled. The cheese ads so much great flavor to this marinated artichoke pasta salad. It is salty, creamy and absolutely delicious in this salad. For a vegan option, use vegan feta cheese alternative.
- Fresh dill and/or basil, herbs adds freshness and lots of flavor to the pasta salad.
Dressing
- Olive oil, a good quality extra virgin olive oil tastes great in this dressing.
- Lemon, both the zest and juice gives the pasta salad a vibrant lemon flavor.
- Garlic, gives the dressing a punch of flavour.
- Honey, to balance out the acid from the lemon juice. For a vegan option, use maple syrup.
- Dijon mustard, just a little adds a lot of flavor to the fresh lemon dressing.
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This pasta salad with asparagus is fast and easy to make. Follow the step-by-step photos below, or see the full written recipe at the bottom.
- Step 1: Wash the asparagus and break off the woody end part. It will naturally snap off when holding the asparagus at the top and bottom and gently bending it. Cut the trimmed asparagus into 1-inch pieces.
- Step 2: Cook the pasta according to package instructions. For the last 3 minutes of boiling, add the asparagus pieces and the frozen peas. Let the vegetables boil with the pasta for 3 minutes, then drain and rinse in very cold water.
- Step 3: In a small bowl, stir together the ingredients for the dressing.
- Step 4: Add all the ingredients for the pasta salad ti a large salad bowl.
Step 5: Pour over the dressing.
Step 6: Gently toss the salad together and top with some extra dill and feta cheese before serving.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten free – To make a gluten-free pasta salad, use a certified gluten-free pasta of your choice.
- Dressing – This spring pasta salad has a light coating of dressing. If you like a lot of dressing, double the recipe and drizzle a little extra on the salad to taste.
- Greens – Add some fresh greens to the salad like arugula, other small greens like baby spinach or a mix of greens.
- Onion – The red onion, ads a nice crunch and bite to the pasta salad. It can also be replaced with pickled red onion, copped spring onions or shallots. If you don’t like onions, just leave them out.
- Vegan – To make a vegan pasta salad, use maple syrup in the vinaigrette and a vegan feta cheese alternative.
- Herbs – Instead of chopped fresh basil and dill, other herbs like parsley, oregano, chives or cilantro also works well.
- Veggies – Add more veggies to this pasta salad, some great options are, sliced avocado, chopped artichoke, cucumber
- Protein – Add some canned lentils, chickpeas or beans. They are a great plant-based options to add plant based protein.
Serving Suggestions
This asparagus pasta salad is delicious served with:
- Veggie burgers, like these Southwestern black bean burgers.
- Potatoes, these Roasted potatoes and zucchini or this Greek Potato Salad make a great combo.
- Bread, store bought or try one of these easy home made recipes: No knead olive bread or this No-knead cheese bread.
- Vegetables, Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli or Sautéed zucchini with tomatoes.
- Hummus, this Lemon Dill Hummus or this Lemon and Ginger Hummus.
- Soup for a light lunch, serve with a steaming bowl of this Potato Zucchini Soup.
It’s perfect served cold or room temperature for picnics.
Storage
This asparagus pea salad pasta salad can be prepared ahead of time. It is great for the summer bbq or picnic, or for meal prep for the week. Store the pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days. Stir it up well before serving and drizzle with a little extra olive oil and a squeeze of lemon before serving if desired.
Pasta salad does not freeze well, so I don’t recommend freezing it.
Top Tip
- Cook the pasta al dente for the perfect bite. It will hold its shape and not become mushy when tossed with the dressing.
- Cut the asparagus into even size pieces and don’t overcook it. Rinse well with cold water to keep it crisp and bright green.
- Use fresh herbs. The combination of dill and basil will add so much flavor to the pasta salad.
- Let the salad sit for 15 minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to develop.
FAQ
Yes, this pasta salad is a great for meal prep or to bring to a summer party. You can prepare it in advance and keep it refrigerated until ready to serve. If making it a day ahead, reserve a little lemon dressing to toss through just before serving, as the pasta will absorb some of the dressing while it sits. Toss well before serving and add a little fresh herbs before serving.
In this pasta salad I used fusilli. Other short pasta shapes such as rotini, farfalle, or penne are other great choices. Their shape holds onto the lemon dressing and makes it easy to get a little asparagus, peas, feta, and pasta in every bite. You can also try orzo like in this Asparagus Orzo Salad.
More pasta salad recipes
Salad recipes
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This Asparagus pasta salad is fresh, easy to make and perfect spring or summer side dish. It comes together quickly and has a bright, vinaigrette style lemon dressing and loads of fresh herbs. A great packed lunch, or served as a delicious side to the summer bbq or picnic.
- 1 pound dried pasta of choice (fusilli, bowtie, farfalle, gemelli or orecchiette pasta)
- 2 cups frozen peas (or fresh)
- 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and sliced at a diagonal into 1-inch pieces
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup fresh dill and/or basil, chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil, preferable extra virgin
- 1 large lemon, zest and juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
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Wash the asparagus and break off the woody end part. It will naturally snap off when holding the asparagus at the top and bottom and gently bending it. Cut the trimmed asparagus into 1-inch pieces.
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Cook the pasta according to package instructions. For the last 3 minutes of boiling, add the asparagus pieces and the frozen peas (If using fresh peas, no need to cook them, so do not ad with the asparagus). Let the vegetables boil with the pasta for 3 minutes, then drain and rinse in very cold water. Add to a large salad bowl.
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While the pasta is cooking, prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, stir together the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.
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Add the red onion, feta cheese and chopped dill to the salad bowl with the pasta, asparagus and peas.
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Pour over the dressing and gently toss. Top with some extra dill and feta cheese and season with more salt and pepper to taste before serving.
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