Best Asparagus Pasta Salad Recipes

CREAMY PESTO PASTA SALAD WITH CHICKEN, ASPARAGUS AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl; keep chilled until ready to toss with salad. (Store in clean jar with lid.)
• Bring 1 gallon of water and 2 Tbs. of salt to boil in a large soup kettle. Add pasta and, using package times as a guide, boil, stirring frequently and adding asparagus the last 1 minute, until just tender. Drain thoroughly (do not rinse) and dump onto a large, lipped cookie sheet. Set aside to cool while preparing remaining salad ingredients.
• Place all salad ingredients (except buttermilk dressing) in a large bowl or transfer to a gallon-size zippered bag. (Can be covered and refrigerated several hours at this point.) When ready to serve, add dressing; toss to coat and serve.

PENNE PASTA SALAD WITH SUN DRIED TOMATOES, ASPARAGUS AND BASIL

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to directions. Drain.
• Saute asparagus tips in garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper until tender. Add to the pasta along with the basil and sun-dried tomatoes. Toss to mix. Adjust seasonings as necessary. Refrigerate 1 hour or longer before serving.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Add pasta to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook until al dente. Drain in a colander and let cool.
• Meanwhile, slice asparagus on the bias into 1/2-inch pieces. Place the asparagus on a sheet tray and drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place in oven and roast for 10 minutes, until slightly tender. Remove and let cool.
• In a small bowl, combine shallot, garlic, mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Whisk in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add chives.
• Add pasta and roasted asparagus to a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss. Add the crumbled goat cheese, toss and serve.

ASPARAGUS-SPINACH PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Place asparagus in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil; sprinkle with salt. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring after 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain., For dressing, combine onions, vinegar and soy sauce in a blender; cover and process. While processing, gradually add the remaining oil in a steady steam., In a large salad bowl, combine pasta, spinach and asparagus. Drizzle with dressing; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cashews and Parmesan cheese.

ASPARAGUS PASTA SALAD WITH A CREAMY LEMON DRESSING

Steps:

• Dressing -- mix all the ingredients and set to the side until the pasta and asparagus are cooked.
• Salad -- In a large pot of salted water, boil the pasta according to directions. Approximately 3 minutes before the pasta is done, add the asparagus until is comes out al dente. Now drain the pasta and asparagus. Rinse under cold water for just a few seconds to stop the cooking process and cool slightly.
• Combine -- Now toss the still slightly warm pasta with the dressing. Add in the scallions, extra salt and pepper and serve garnished with the cheese fresh lemon slices. A nice simple salad!
• Now this is a very light tasting salad with a very simple dressing. It doesn't have bold flavors, but subtle flavors which is a nice compliment to a fresh herb roasted chicken breast or piece of fish. This is all about fresh subtle flavors.

ASPARAGUS PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Place asparagus in a large saucepan with enough water to cover; cook until crisp-tender. Drain and cool. In a large bowl, combine asparagus with the remaining ingredients; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight.

SPRING PASTA SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS, TOMATO AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Put up a large pot of salted water for cooking the pasta and bring it to a boil.
• Add the asparagus and blanch it until just tender, about 3 minutes.
• Scoop the asparagus from the water with a large strainer spoon and place in a colander. Run cold water over it to stop the cooking process, and to preserve the bright green color. Drain well and slice into small pieces on the diagonal, leaving the tips whole.
• Bring the water back to a rapid boil and cook the penne until just al dente (tender but slightly firm to the bite). Run the pasta under cold water and drain very well.
• In a large serving bowl, add the pasta, the blanched asparagus and all the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and toss well until all the pasta is well coated with dressing. Taste for seasoning. This is best served at room temperature.
• Note: Another lovely addition to this pasta is about 3/4 cup freshly shelled spring peas. Blanch them for 1 minute in the boiling pasta water after you blanch the asparagus. Drain well and add them to the bowl along with the other ingredients.

ASPARAGUS AND ARTICHOKE PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook until tender, about 1 minute. Strain asparagus out of water and immediately plunge into a bowl filled with ice water; let sit in ice water until completely cold, then cut into 1 inch pieces. Next, add pasta to boiling water and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, rinse with cold water until chilled, then drain well.
• Stir together mayonnaise, balsamic vinaigrette, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl. Fold in artichoke, chicken, cranberries, almonds, crumbled bacon, and asparagus. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then fold in cooked pasta. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

LEMON, GARLIC, AND ASPARAGUS WARM CAPRESE PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in penne and return to a boil. Cook pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes; drain.
• Place asparagus into a saucepan, add a little water, and place over medium heat; cover pan and let asparagus steam until bright green and tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain.
• Heat olive oil with butter and lemon juice in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until butter melts; cook and stir shallot in hot oil and butter mixture until it just begins to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir garlic into shallot mixture and cook until shallot and garlic are opaque, 3 more minutes. Stir asparagus and chicken into mixture; cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
• Toss pasta with chicken and vegetables to combine; mix tomato and basil into salad and serve warm.

CHICKEN ASPARAGUS PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a stockpot.
• Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.
• Drain pasta and keep warm.
• Wash asparagus and remove and discard tough ends.
• Slice asparagus into one inch pieces.
• Cook asparagus in a large skillet in shallow water and steam for 1-2 minutes until crisp tender.
• Drain well and reserve.
• Chop chicken into one inch pieces.
• Cut grape tomatoes in half.
• Combine Italian dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
• Add cooked pasta and asparagus to the Italian dressing and mix together until everything is evenly coated.
• Add chicken, tomatoes, basil, olives, and cheese and stir to combine.
• Serve pasta salad warm or at room temperature.

ASPARAGUS AND TOMATO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on package, adding asparagus for last 2 minutes of cooking; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain.
• In tightly covered container, shake oil, vinegar, mustard and garlic salt.
• In large bowl, toss pasta, asparagus, bell pepper, tomatoes and oil mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to blend flavors but no longer than 24 hours. Serve with pepper.

ROASTED EGGPLANT AND ASPARAGUS PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Place a baking rack in the top of the oven.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Spread asparagus spears and eggplant slices on the baking sheet, and drizzle vegetables with 1/4 cup olive oil; sprinkle with garlic powder.
• Roast the asparagus and eggplant in the preheated oven until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool. When cool, roughly chop the vegetables; set aside.
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in penne and return to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through but is still slightly firm, about 9 minutes. Drain well.
• Transfer about 1/4 of the penne at a time into a large salad bowl, drizzling each batch with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a 1 teaspoon of Parmesan cheese. Stir between additions.
• Stir in roasted asparagus and eggplant, lemon juice, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce until thoroughly combined.
• Sprinkle pasta salad with salt-free seasoning and black pepper.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate the pasta salad until thoroughly chilled and the flavors have blended, at least 3 hours.

PASTA SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS, CORN AND SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs; drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Add the asparagus, corn and sun-dried tomatoes to the bowl with the pasta.
• Make the dressing: Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, garlic, parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Pour over the pasta salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Chill for up to 3 hours.

ASPARAGUS LEMON PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Prepare penne according to package directions. Once cooked, toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil and chill. Cut off 1 - 2 inches of the base of asparagus and discard. Slice asparagus into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Simmer in skillet with water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain asparagus and plunge into a bowl of ice water. This will help maintain the bright green color and stop the asparagus from cooking further. Toast pine nuts in oven until golden. In small bowl squeeze juice from lemon and grate the rind to create lemon zest. In large bowl whisk together lemon and rind, salt, pepper and remaining olive oil. Add asparagus, drained red pepper, pine nuts and pasta. Serve.

ASPARAGUS PASTA SALAD WITH ITALIAN DRESSING

Steps:

• For the dressing: Whisk together all of the ingredients in a medium bowl until combined. Set aside.
• For the pasta salad: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions, just until al dente. Add the asparagus and cook it with the pasta for 1 more minute. Drain the pasta and asparagus then rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly.
• Transfer the pasta and asparagus to a large bowl. Stir in the onions and tomatoes. Pour the dressing over the pasta, toss to combine, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to overnight. When ready to serve, stir in the Parmesan and enjoy cold or at room temperature.

FRESH TOMATO-BASIL-ASPARAGUS PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions, adding asparagus, cut into 2" pieces, during the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Drain and rinse under cool water.
• Stir together 1 cup bottled lemon vinaigrette and chopped basil. Pour 3/4 cup of dressing over pasta mixture. Stir in tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. COver and chill 1 hour. Toss with remaining dressing just before serving. Garnish with additional freshly basil.

ASPARAGUS PASTA SALAD WITH PARMESAN DRESSING

Steps:

• Boil pasta in water until firm-tender (do not overcook, leave firm!) drain, and rinse with cold water; set aside.
• Steam asparagus until crisp-tender; drain and plunge into very cold or ice water; drain and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Place all dressing ingredients in a blender, and blend until well mixed (adjusting all ingredients to suit taste).
• Place the veggies and the cooked pasta shells in a large bowl; toss to combine.
• Pour the dressing over; toss well to coat.
• Add in slivered almonds and mix.
• Chill in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours before serving.

ASPARAGUS-FENNEL PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Place asparagus, onions and fennel in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Drizzle with oil; toss to coat. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. , Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in a large serving bowl. Add the tomatoes, olives, parsley and roasted vegetables. , In a small bowl, whisk the oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

SPRING PEA AND PASTA SALAD WITH CHICKEN AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• 1. Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add chicken; toss to coat. 2. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Add asparagus pieces and peas during the last 2 minutes of pasta cooking time. Drain well. Add pasta-and-vegetable mixture and Parmigiano-Reggiano to chicken mixture; toss well to coat.

ARTICHOKE ASPARAGUS PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook tri-colored pasta at a boil until tender yet slightly firm, about 10 minutes.
• Drain the pasta and rinse in cold water until chilled; drain again.
• Transfer the pasta to a very large salad bowl and toss with olive oil until coated.
• Mix broccoli florets, artichoke hearts, asparagus, parsley, spinach, and olives into the pasta until thoroughly combined.
• Stir Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, red wine vinegar, ranch dressing mix, black pepper, and salt together in a bowl until smooth.
• Pour the dressing over the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Cover bowl and refrigerate for 12 hours to blend flavors before serving.