The best pasta salad
This lemon and herbs pasta salad has so much fresh flavor! It is packed full of tasty Mediterranean ingredients like olives, sweet bell peppers, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. The vibrant, lemony herb dressing makes the flavors pop and makes this pasta salad taste better with age. It is a perfect recipe for meal prep because it tastes delicious and fresh for 3-4 days after mixing. I love this one on a bed of greens for a light lunch or as a side for a picnic or bbq. This recipe is well balanced with a healthy dose of plant-based protein from chickpeas that makes it appropriate as a light yet filling meal.
Ingredients for Lemon and Herbs Pasta Salad
The ingredients for this vegan pasta salad are fresh and vibrant. This is the perfect recipe for summer because it uses garden fresh vegetables like cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and copious herbs. It is also a great recipe for Spring because the bright and fresh lemony dressing gives the dish a green hue that is perfect for the season. I even like this one in Winter, when I am yearning for some sunshine and freshness in my life. The ingredients are basic enough that they are found year round at the market. Any fresh herbs will do including cilantro, basil and oregano. I like the combo of fresh parsley, zippy mint and pungent dill but all herbs have their merits.
Herbed Lemon Dressing Ingredients
- parsley
- dill
- mint
- garlic
- olive oil
- lemon
- maple syrup
- salt and pepper
For the Salad
- cavatelli
- baby bell peppers
- persian cucumbers
- green olives
- kalamata olives
- cherry tomatoes
- dill
- parsley
- arugula
- chickpeas
Instructions
- Cook the cavatelli according to package, drain, rinse with cold water, drain again and toss with a few drops of olive oil to prevent sticking and set aside in a large bowl.
- Preheat the oven to 400 and roast the bell peppers whole on a sheet pan for 20 minutes. Let them cool enough to handle comfortably, then remove the seeds and stems and chop small and add to the bowl of pasta.
- Make the dressing by combining parsley, mint, dill, garlic, lemon, maple syrup, salt and pepper in a blender and pureeing until smooth and creamy.
- Add the blended dressing mixture to the pasta and mix until well coated.
- Add cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, garbanzos and fresh herbs to the bowl and toss well.
- Top with fresh ground black pepper
- Eat within 3-4 days for best quality.
Tips for making the best pasta salad
Making pasta salads is my favorite! Pasta salads are cheap, easy to make, last for days and are popular even with picky eaters. There are a few sure-fired tricks I have for making the best pasta salads. Follow these and you will be cooking like a pro!
- Choose pasta with texture! The pasta shape you pick for your pasta salad matters. I like to choose one with ridges that will be a great vehicle for the dressing. These cavatelli shells were tasty as well as added visual interest to the salad. Those little ridges held onto the light dressing so well.
- Drain your pasta well. Water is the enemy of a good salad. My mentor Janice Chapler taught me that in the early 2000s and she was so right. You do not want anything to water down your dressing so make sure to drain that pasta.
- Choose texture. I like including different shapes and textures in my pasta salads. Add a crunchy element, a soft element, a roasted element. Choose sweet, tangy, salty. Balancing all of these flavors will make a killer pasta salad like this lemon and herb pasta salad.
- When you make a dressing, use a blender. Fresh herbs blended with oil and citrus have a really powerful flavor punch.
- Always add beans for protein to make it a balanced meal.
Other Vegan Pasta Salads
Lemon and Herbs Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Herbed Lemon Dressing
- 1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley loosely packed
- ¼ cup fresh dill loosely packed
- ¼ cup fresh mint loosely packed
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 large lemon juiced
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
Salad
- 1 pound cavatelli or any pasta of choice
- 4 baby bell peppers or 1 large pepper chopped
- 2 persian cucumbers chopped
- ¼ cup pitted green olives sliced in rings
- ¼ cup kalamata olives sliced in rings
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup fresh herbs chopped dill, parsley, mint and arugula
- 15 oz chickpeas rinsed and drained
Instructions
- Cook the cavatelli according to package, drain, rinse with cold water, drain again and toss with a few drops olive oil to prevent sticking and set aside in a large bowl.
- Preheat the oven to 400 and roast the bell peppers whole on a sheet pan for 20 minutes. Let cool enough to handle then remove seeds and stems and chop rustically and add to bowl with the pasta.
- Make the dressing by combining parsley, mint, dill, garlic, lemon, maple syrup, salt and pepper in a blender and pureeing until smooth and creamy.
- Add the blended dressing mixture to the pasta and mix until well coated.
- Add cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, garbanzos and fresh herbs to the bowl and toss well.
- Top with fresh ground black pepper.
- Eat within 3-4 days for best quality
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