I love that spring arrived on a rainy, gray day. It’s sunny somewhere and our drizzles shouldn’t diminish the excitement nearly everyone feels about getting to spend more time outdoors. I’m going to advocate for a spring planting list and share a salad to tickle your gardening fancy.
Lemon Herb Pasta Salad is full of flavorful, bright bites. It should inspire you to put mint, dill, peas and cherry tomatoes on your planting list. Herbs and vegetables don’t need a dedicated garden to call home. Just tuck them into pots or plant them in your flower beds. They will serve you all summer!
Serve this spring salad as a side with a roasted meat or fish. On following days, enjoy it for lunch on a bed of greens, topped with protein leftovers.
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Lemon Herb Pasta Salad
Recipe: Phoebe Canakis, PhoebesPureFood.com
Yields approximately 6 cups
Until you can find local, fresh peas use flash frozen peas or substitute with sliced sugar snap peas.
Ingredients
- 10-12 ounces asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup dry orzo or ditalini pasta, prepared per package directions
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup peas
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
- 1-2 Tbsp minced, fresh mint
- 1 lemon, zested
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Lemon Dill Dressing
- Sliced almonds or nuts, optional
- Feta or blue cheese, optional
Instructions
- Blanch the asparagus, place in cold water to chill. Once chilled, drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the chilled asparagus, pasta, tomatoes, peas, green onion, mint, lemon zest and dressing. Season with salt and pepper to personal taste. Add optional toppings and enjoy.
Lemon Dill Dressing
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp white, rice or white wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp dried dill or 1 Tbsp fresh, chopped dill
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Whisk all of the ingredients until smooth.
- Store in an airtight container.
