Spring has to be my favorite time of year! Flowers are blooming, everything is starting to feel green, fresh and new, and also the best produce is now becoming available in farmers markets and stores. Loving asparagus this season and incorporated it into this delicious fresh pasta salad!
I initially made this recipe for a potluck, when I just had a few ingredients at home left over from previous recipes. I whipped up a quick pesto using pecans, parsley and garlic and threw it together with some arugula, pasta and fresh tomatoes. Since asparagus is in season, I added some sauteed asparagus in olive oil. The asparagus is nice and tender and adds a beautiful extra layer to this dish.
This recipe would be great as a side or a main dish! You can use the leftover pesto later on toast, with pasta or even mixed in to soups.
Making the pesto
Making the pesto is super simple. All you need to do is throw all the ingredients into a food processor with a few drizzles of olive oil and pulse to combine. You can loosen with starchy pasta water or regular water if it is too thick. This should take no more than 5 minutes to make! The full recipe is below!
Did you know
Parsley is rich in Vitamin K, aiding in bone health. One cup of chopped parsley is 1,230% of our daily recommended intake. It is also rich in antioxidants, Vitamin A and C and flavonoids, which protect against skin cancer. Given that I don’t much care for parsley as a garnish, this recipe helps me get all the nutritional benefits in a tasty way!
Parsley-Pecan Pesto Pasta Salad with Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 bunch asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half
- 2 cups whole wheat penne
- A few handfulls arugula
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the Pesto
- In a food processor, combine parsley, garlic, pecans, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Start to pulse the mixture, stopping occasionally to stir.
- Add a few tbsps of water or starchy pasta water to loosen if it is not combining smoothly.
- When it is done, it should be fine, but not a puree. You should still be able to see individual granules of the pecans.
Prepare the Pasta Salad
- Boil the whole wheat pasta as instructed for around 8 minutes or until al-dente.
- Optionally, reserve some of the pasta water to loosen the pesto if it becomes too thick.
- Drain the pasta and allow to cool.
- In a pan, bring 2-3 tbsp olive oil to heat. Saute the asparagus for 2-3 minutes until they are still bright green, but tender. Make sure you cut off the ends of the asparagus before sauteing as they can become quite tough to chew. Lightly salt the asparagus and remove from flame and allow to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine pasta, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, pesto and arugula. Mix well. Add a little pesto at a time until the pasta is well coated.
- Adjust seasoning to taste.
Notes
