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.