Asparagus Pasta Salad with Lemon Herb Vinaigrette
This flavorful Asparagus Pasta Salad is made with shell pasta, fresh asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, and finished with a homemade lemon herb vinaigrette!
Servings 6
Ingredients
For the pasta salad:
- 8 oz. shell pasta
- 1/3 cup red onion chopped
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 cups fresh asparagus ends trimmed and cut into small pieces
- 1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms stems removed and sliced
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tsp. honey
- 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp. fresh basil
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the pasta salad:
- Cook the pasta according to package. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
- Once cooled, add the pasta to a large bowl with the chopped onion.
- Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat.
- Add garlic, cooking 1 minute, then add asparagus and mushrooms, cooking until softened, 5-8 minutes.
- Then, stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, cooking for about 1-2 minutes.
- Remove skillet from heat and allow to cool. Then, add to the pasta bowl and season with salt and pepper.
For the vinaigrette:
- In a blender, add the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, vinegar, herbs, and salt and pepper. Blend just until smooth.
- Add half of the dressing to the pasta salad, reserving the other half to add to the salad, as needed.
- Serve salad immediately, or keep in the fridge in an airtight container.