Spring Pasta Salad

spring pasta salad

Here’s a pasta salad that features all the flavors of spring including fresh asparagus, baby zucchini, arugula, artichoke hearts, colorful cherry tomatoes, peas and fresh herbs. It’s light, healthy and just perfect for spring!

You can enjoy this spring pasta salad as a main dish by maybe adding some grilled shrimp to it or as a side dish for any party you might be having. Mother’s Day is right around the corner and this would be a nice option for a salad.
farfalloni pasta What really inspired me for this salad was this pasta shape that I found called farfalloni, it reminded me of fluttering butterfies, so cute with the rounded edges. I actually found this at my local HomeGoods store in their gourmet food section.

Years ago I did another spring inspired pasta salad with this pasta shape that I found there as well.

farfalloni pasta The key to a good pasta salad is to make sure your pasta isn’t overcooked, you don’t want it to be soft and mushy, it has to have a nice bite to it so it can hold up to all the veggies that you’re adding. My advice is to start testing it two minutes before the suggested cooking time, you’ll be the best judge by giving it a taste test.

spring pasta salad I’m going to be giving you approximate amounts because when making a pasta salad I always add more or less of something according to my likes and according to how it looks on my platter.

spring pasta salad

You’re zucchini ribbons will soften and bend once the dressing is applied so you can easily intertwine them throughout the pasta salad for an pretty and elegant look.

Spring is here, enjoy!

You can follow Proud Italian Cook on Instagram to see what I’m cooking up, I usually post something daily.

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Spring Pasta Salad
 
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Ingredients
  • 8 oz. of cooked farfalloni pasta, (or farfalle pasta better known as bow ties or butterflies) being careful not to overcook it, once cooked cool it off with cold water then place onto a rimmed cookie sheet so that you can dab any excess water that might fall into the pasta "wings" with a paper towel
  • ½ jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained
  • ¼ bag of defrosted peas
  • 2 cups of sliced multi colored cherry tomatoes prepped for ten minutes in a good drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper and chopped basil so that the tomato juices and olive oil mingle together
  • 1 bunch of asparagus, ( I prefer a more medium tip not the pencil thin ones) sliced in thirds and pre roasted or blanched for just a few minutes, cooked al'dente with still a bite to it
  • zucchini ribbons done with a vegetable peeler, turning it while peeling it being careful not to reach the seeds. ( use small zucchini)
  • 1 or 2 handfuls of arugula, depending on your liking
  • fresh basil and parsley
  • DRESSING:
  • 1 part white balsamic vinegar to 3 parts olive oil with a touch of dijon mustard to thicken it up, just whisk everything together adding salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Take a big bowl and place all your ingredients into it, spooning the dressing in little by little and adding salt and pepper to taste and being nice and gentle tossing it.
  2. Then place it all onto a pretty platter adding more zucchini ribbons, peas, artichoke hearts or whatever else to make it look balanced with the veggies.
  3. Spoon more dressing if needed.

 

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Farfalle Pasta Salad to Welcome in Spring

We can officially now say that winter is behind us and spring has arrived, and this is the perfect salad to usher in the warm weather!  Farfalle pasta, tender asparagus, cherry tomatoes, baby arugula and pecorino and pepper roasted chickpeas.
I love the gourmet food section of HomeGoods I always find something good there, the minute I saw these cute colorful butterflies I knew I’d be making a pasta salad so I quickly grabbed a couple of boxes, don’t they just scream spring? The pasta is made with all natural ingredients too, red beets, red bell pepper, spinach and tumeric, no food coloring at all. 
Boil gently for 10 to 12 minutes then spray with cold water to cool down.
Slice cherry tomatoes in half add 1 crushed garlic clove, a healthy dose of olive oil, fresh chopped basil, salt and pepper, as it sits for a while the tomato juice will mingle with the oil and this will become your dressing.
For the roasted chickpeas I used one can that was drained and patted dry then tossed on a baking sheet with olive oil, lots of cracked black pepper, salt and a healthy dose of pecorino romano. Roast for around 15 minutes at 400 or until golden. 
I cut the asparagus at a diagonal and roasted them for a few minutes, tender but al’ dente. Just toss everything together adding more olive oil, basil and grated pecorino romano.
For this version right above and below I added in julienned zucchini and sliced olives for added flavor and texture.
Either way, I’m sure you’ll enjoy!
Buon Appetito

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I’ve Been On a Salad Kick Lately!

I have to thank my daughter for getting me to try a kale salad, I thought it was strange not to cook it, I thought it would be really bitter, I was wrong. Whole Foods makes a very popular kale salad here which is beautifully displayed in their deli, the demand is so great that sometimes they run out, I bought a small container one day on the advice of my daughter, and I was hooked!

Since then I’ve been making kale salads all different ways, here’s one of my favorites. This nutritious and healthy salad can be put together in a few minutes, a nice alternative to the usual salad greens. Ingredients listed above, no measuring, just put as much as you want.

I had two blood oranges left that needed to be used so I made this simple salad consisting of oranges, raw onion rings, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. The combination together creates a great balance of flavor.

A good use for leftover chicken is to recreate it into a salad. Diced chicken, red onion, avocado, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, torn fresh basil leaves and pine nuts tossed with some whole wheat bow tie pasta and fresh spinach drizzled with your favorite vinaigrette. Great for lunch or a light dinner.

Shrimp stuffed in an avocado has been around for years, what sets this apart is the 3 Citrus Aioli that’s drizzled all over it. Scoop out one side of an avocado, dice into medium chunks and place into a bowl, add your cooked shrimp that has also been cut into medium chunks ( leave a few whole). Toss in grape tomatoes that have been cut in half, granulated garlic, fresh parsley and red onion, stuff it back into the other avocado half.
For the 3 Citrus Aioli, combine the juice of a lemon, lime and orange, whisk it into a good store bought mayonnaise until you get the right consistency and then drizzle all over. The citrus brightens everything up and goes perfectly with the shrimp and creamy avocado.
Enjoy, and Buon Appetito!
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