I had a bunch of asparagus in the fridge that I needed to use up, and I was so tired of just roasting it. So, I ended up making this green pasta salad. It’s really just a bunch of green stuff I like, all mixed with some pesto. The trick, I think, is to barely cook the asparagus so it’s still got a good crunch. It’s honestly become my go-to lunch lately.
What You’ll Need for This Green Pasta Salad
Nothing fancy here. I use pesto from a jar most of the time, and nobody’s ever complained. The curly pasta is better ’cause it grabs the sauce.
- A box of curly pasta (fusilli is good)
- A jar of pesto
- A can of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- A cup of peas (frozen is fine)
- A bunch of asparagus, chopped up
- A can of chickpeas, rinsed
- A small bag of pine nuts
- A handful of fresh basil
- A lemon
- Salt and pepper
Recipes You May Like
Let’s Make Some Green Pasta Salad!
This is how I make this green pasta salad. It’s pretty hard to mess up.
Step 1: Cook the Pasta
Boil some salty water for the pasta. Cook it however the package says, but maybe drain it when it’s still a little firm. A quick rinse with cold water stops it from turning into goo later.
Step 2: Cook the Green Veggies
For the veggies, I just chop up the asparagus and throw it in some boiling water with the peas for like, a minute or two. You just want them to get bright green, not all soft and sad. Then drain them.
Step 3: Mix the Pasta and Pesto
Put the drained pasta in a big bowl. Add a few big spoonfuls of pesto and stir it all around ’til the pasta’s pretty much covered.
Step 4: Add the Other Goodies
Then just dump in the rest of it. The artichokes, chickpeas, the asparagus and peas. Mix it all up gently.
Step 5: Toast the Pine Nuts
The pine nuts. You should really toast them. Just toss them in a dry pan for a minute. Seriously, don’t walk away or you’ll smell them burning.
Step 6: Finish and Serve
Throw the toasted pine nuts and some torn-up basil on top of the green pasta salad. I add a little salt and pepper and always squeeze a bunch of lemon juice over the whole thing at the end. That’s pretty much it.
Why I Can’t Get Enough of This Green Pasta Salad
I make this green pasta salad a lot because it’s easy and has a lot of different textures, which I like. The crunch from the nuts and the asparagus with the soft pasta is a good combo. It also holds up really well in the fridge for a couple of days. If you end up making it, cool. Let me know if you do anything different to it.
Green Pasta Salad
A super fresh and easy Green Pasta Salad loaded with pesto, asparagus, peas, and artichokes. Perfect for a quick lunch or a crowd-pleasing side.
Ingredients
- 1 pound curly pasta (like fusilli)
- 1 cup pesto
- 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 1 cup peas (frozen is fine)
- 1 bunch asparagus, chopped
- 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas, rinsed
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- A handful of fresh basil leaves
- 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- boil some salty water for the pasta. cook it how the box says but drain it when its still a little firm. rinse it with cold water so it doesnt get mushy.
- while the pastas cooking chop the asparagus. throw it in some boiling water with the peas for a minute or two. you just want them bright green not soft. drain them good.
- get your biggest bowl and put the drained pasta in it. add a few big scoops of pesto and stir everything around till the pastas all covered.
- now just dump in the rest of the stuff. the artichokes chickpeas and the cooked asparagus and peas. mix it up again.
- toast the pine nuts in a dry pan for a couple minutes. dont walk away they burn fast.
- throw the toasted pine nuts and some torn basil on top. i always add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end with some salt and pepper.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per ServingCalories 413Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 18gCholesterol 0mgSodium 529mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 7gSugar 6gProtein 13g