Lemon Basil Pasta Salad – Eat Yourself Skinny

Add this mild and zesty Lemon Basil Pasta Salad to your summer season menu! This pasta salad is refreshing, flavorful and filled with recent veggies. The good facet dish to convey to your subsequent cookout or picnic and makes a healthy weeknight dinner!

Ok so I’ve the final word summer season pasta salad for you! This mild and recent Lemon Basil Pasta Salad recipe was impressed by my favourite Trader Joe’s pre-made pasta salad that I discovered myself shopping for each week. You are going to like the brilliant flavors on this pasta salad and we’ve loaded this up with recent summer season veggies like zucchini, inexperienced peas and different recent components together with herby basil and shaved parmesan cheese. The lemon French dressing makes an excellent salad dressing or marinade as nicely! So a lot taste in each chew!

Why You’ll Love This

• Quick and simple – this pasta salad recipe simply comes collectively in below half-hour utilizing only a few easy components.
• Light and healthy – refreshing flavors of lemon, garlic and basil paired with recent veggies like zucchini and peas make this the right healthy meal.
• Customizable – make this pasta salad your individual by utilizing your favourite veggies, including in some protein or mixing up the herbs and spices that you just like finest.
• Perfect for summer season – this isn’t a heavy pasta dish and you’ll love the recent, crisp and zesty flavors. Great to serve at summer season events and cookouts!

Pasta Salad Ingredients

• pasta – I used farfalle pasta (also called bowtie pasta), however be at liberty to make use of any kind of pasta that’s curly/corkscrew similar to rotini, cavatappi or fusilli. The nooks within the pasta actually seize maintain of the dressing properly! Penne pasta works nice too.
• zucchini + peas – these summer season greens add nutrition to the pasta salad and a stupendous vibrant colour to the salad.
• recent basil – provides the right taste that pairs completely with this pasta salad. Fresh arugula or recent oregano could be an excellent addition as nicely!
• parmesan cheese – I prefer to thinly slice a wedge of high high quality parmesan cheese utilizing a vegetable peeler or you may merely grate recent parmesan cheese over prime. Crumbled feta cheese or asiago cheese would make nice choices as nicely.

Lemony Dressing Ingredients

• olive oil – I like to make use of  extra-virgin olive oil that doesn’t should be costly, simply be certain that it’s chilly-pressed and natural for essentially the most taste.
• lemons – recent lemon juice provides such a vibrant, recent style and also you’ll want about 2 lemons plus some zest. Just be certain that to make use of freshly squeezed lemon juice because the bottled lemon juice can have a bitter style.
• white wine vinegar – this provides a pleasant tangy taste and a few zip to the salad. You might additionally use apple cider vinegar or champagne vinegar.
• dijon mustard – this provides a little bit zip and helps to emulsify the dressing.
• honey – provides a little bit sweetness to the dressing with out utilizing refined sugars. You might additionally swap the honey with maple syrup or different pure sweetener.
• garlic – you should use recent chopped garlic cloves or minced garlic from the jar.
• shallots – I simply love the sunshine, candy style of shallots on this salad! You might additionally use chopped pink onion or inexperienced onions.
• salt + black pepper – wanted to season and add taste to the pasta salad.

How to Make Lemon Basil Pasta Salad

1. Boil the pasta.  Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil and cook dinner the pasta based on the bundle directions till al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse with chilly water to cease the cooking course of.
2. Prep the zucchini. Using a box grater, shred one medium zucchini (you must get about 1 1/2 cups) and gently squeeze out the water utilizing a clear kitchen towel or paper towels.
3. Make the dressing.  While the pasta cooks, whisk collectively the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, garlic, shallots, salt and pepper in a jar or small bowl till easy and creamy. Set apart till prepared to make use of.
4. Toss the salad.  In a big bowl, toss collectively the cooked pasta, grated zucchini, peas, recent basil and half of the lemon-basil French dressing, stirring nicely. Cover and refrigerate the pasta salad for not less than an hour earlier than serving.
5. Serve and revel in! When able to serve, let the pasta salad heat as much as room temperature for about 20 minutes earlier than serving. Give the remaining French dressing shake and drizzle over the salad together with the freshly shaved parmesan cheese.

Variations

Make this lemon pasta salad all your individual by altering up the components and including in your favourite flavors!

• Add in protein – grilled hen (or shredded hen), cooked shrimp, salmon, and hen sausage would style superb on this pasta salad. You might additionally add in chickpeas or white beans for a vegetarian choice.
• Extra veggies – we’re utilizing shredded zucchini and inexperienced peas on this salad, however cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, olives, artichoke hearts, summer season squash, asparagus and broccoli all make nice choices.
• Greens – recent arugula would style superb on this salad with all of the lemon taste, however you can additionally add in chopped baby spinach and even kale.
• Make it creamy – combine in a spoonful of Greek yogurt or mayo with the dressing for a creamy twist.
• Make it crunchy – be at liberty so as to add in some pine nuts, chopped walnuts or chopped almonds into this salad for a pleasant crunch and texture.
• Gluten-free – to make this pasta salad gluten-free, merely use licensed gluten-free pasta of your selection.

How to Serve

Not solely does this flavorful pasta salad a filling important dish, but it surely makes the right summer season facet as nicely! Here are a few of my favourite recipes to pair with this salad:

Prepping and Storage

To prep forward of time: You can simply prep this salad forward of time by cooking the noodles, shredding the zucchini and making the lemon dressing as much as a day earlier than assembling. Just retailer every thing in separate containers within the fridge.

To retailer: Leftovers will last as long as 3 to 4 days in your fridge saved in a sealed, hermetic container. I like to order a little bit additional dressing to drizzle over earlier than eating leftovers because the noodles and veggies have a tendency to take in a number of the dressing.

More Pasta Salad Recipes

Hope you all take pleasure in this straightforward pasta salad recipe and in the event you love this as a lot as we do, please go away ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ under and don’t overlook to tag me on Instagram utilizing the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny!