Asparagus Pasta Salad

This asparagus pasta salad with strawberries and balsamic dressing is the perfect spring and summer recipes! I love making it for potlucks, picnics, and BBQs! It's vegan, healthy, and ready in just 20 minutes.

Course Salad, Side

Cuisine American

Prep Time 7

Cook Time 10

Total Time 17

Servings servings

Calories 338kcal

Author Sina

Ingredients

For the asparagus pasta salad:

14 oz green asparagus
14 oz fresh strawberries
9 oz whole wheat rotini or penne (for a gluten-free version use brown rice rotini)
2 handful baby arugula or baby spinach

For the dressing:

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste
balsamic reduction, optional

Instructions

With a knife, cut off the woody part of the asparagus. Then cut them into about 1.5 inch pieces.
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Rinse with cold water after cooking.
Heat some oil in a large pan and cook the asparagus on high heat for about 8 minutes.
In the meantime, make the dressing. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well.
Wash and cut the strawberries into slices. In a large bowl combine the cooked asparagus, the strawberries, the pasta, and the arugula or baby spinach. Add the dressing and stir well.
Top the salad off with balsamic reduction (optional). This salad is best served fresh. I don't like storing it for more than two hours in the fridge because the strawberries soak up the dressing very fast and aren't fresh anymore.

Notes

For a gluten-free version, you can easily replace the whole wheat pasta with brown rice pasta. It's my favorite kind of gluten-free pasta!
You are not a fan of arugula? No problem! Just use baby spinach instead.
To give the asparagus pasta salad even more flavor, I topped it off with a balsamic reduction. I used a store-bought one, but you can also make it at home using balsamic vinegar.
You could also use a combination of green and white asparagus for this pasta salad.

Nutrition