Summer Pasta Salad

This Summer Pasta Salad is bursting with flavor! Roasted bell peppers, asparagus, arugula, chickpeas, feta, and your favorite pasta get tossed in a zippy lemon red wine vinaigrette, then showered with a ton of fresh herbs. This pasta salad makes the perfect accompaniment to grilled meat or fish, and it’s great on it’s own as well! You will be making this all season long.

Is there anything better than a summer pasta salad when it’s 90 million degrees? It’s no secret that I’m an absolute pasta fiend, whether it’s hold, cold, room temp, straight out of the pan, or straight out of the tupperware container. I love it all ways, ALWAYS. 🙂

This summer pasta salad is veggie-packed, just like I like it.

You can have a field day with this one – it’s incredibly customizable, and you can use whatever vegetables and herbs you have on hand, or in the garden! This is my personal favorite combination. The zippy lemon vinaigrette really ties it all together, and is a great salad dressing recipe to keep in your back pocket for virtually any type of salad.

Here’s what you need for this summer pasta salad:

• your favorite short-cut pasta (I like to use fusilli here)
• bell peppers
• asparagus
• chickpeas
• arugula
• feta
• dill, chives, and basil (or any trio of your favorite herbs)
• lemons
• garlic
• red wine vinegar
• dijon mustard
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper

The other lovely thing about this pasta is that it gets even more delicious the longer it sits and marinates in that delicious dressing.

Here’s a quick rundown on how to make this summer pasta salad:

• Cook your pasta. Be sure to salt the water liberally, and cook until just shy of al dente. The pasta will continue to cook and soak up all that delicious vinaigrette.
• Roast the veggies. The bell peppers and asparagus go into a hot oven for a quick roast. We still want the veggies to have a good bite to them!
• Make the vinaigrette. Lemon zest, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil all get whisked together to create the most delicious, zippy red wine vinaigrette. You may wanna make extra! 😉
• Assemble. Once the pasta and roasted veggies have cooled a bit, you can toss everything together. The pasta, veggies, arugula, chickpeas, feta, herbs, and all that vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper, as needed. 
• Enjoy! You can enjoy this summer pasta salad at room temperature, or chill it in the fridge for a few hours for optimal flavor.

And there ya have it! The summer pasta salad of your dreams.

If you love this recipe, you will also love these:

Double Tomato and Corn Bruschetta Pasta with Burrata
One Pan Mediterranean Shrimp Orzo
Shrimp Pasta with Dill Pesto and Garlic Roasted Tomatoes
Broccoli Pesto Pasta with Roasted Vegetables
Lemon Ricotta Asparagus Pasta Salad with Bacon
Greek Yogurt Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken and Arugula
Salmon, Broccoli, and Lemon Chickpea Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes and Basil
Arugula Farro Salad with Garlic Roasted Tomatoes, Eggplant, and Smoked Mozzarella
Garlic Roasted Tomato Red Lentil Pasta with Arugula and Toasted Pine NutsLemony Farro Arugula Salad

And don’t forget to share a photo on Instagram and tag me @spicesinmydna if you make this recipe! Nothing makes me happier than seeing what you create in the kitchen!

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Summer Pasta Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

This Summer Pasta Salad is bursting with flavor! Roasted bell peppers, asparagus, arugula, chickpeas, feta, and your favorite pasta get tossed in a zippy lemon red wine vinaigrette, then showered with a ton of fresh herbs. This pasta salad makes the perfect accompaniment to grilled meat or fish, and it's great on it's own as well! You will be making this all season long.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main, Pasta, Pasta Salad, Salad, Side, Side Dish

Cuisine Healthy, Mediterranean

Keyword cold asparagus pasta salad recipe, cold summer pasta salad, easy pasta salad, easy summer pasta salad, healthy summer pasta salad, lemon pasta salad, lemon pasta salad with arugula, lemon pasta salad with asparagus, pasta salad with lemon and feta, summer pasta salad

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 17 minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

For the pasta salad

• 3 bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 pound asparagus, cut into 1 1/2'' pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 pound fusilli or your favorite short-cut pasta
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 5 ounces crumbled feta
• 2 cups baby arugula

For the lemon red wine vinaigrette

• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of 2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425℉. Place sliced bell peppers and asparagus on a large rimmed baking sheet. Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast for 10-12 minutes - veggies should still have a nice bite to them. Let cool.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook until just shy of al dente. Drain, toss with a little olive oil, and let cool.

3. Make the salad dressing while the veggies and pasta are cooling. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, dijon, salt, and pepper. Stream in the olive oil slowly, whisking constantly until the dressing comes together. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if desired.

4. Assemble the pasta salad. Add cooled pasta to a very large mixing bowl. Add the roasted peppers and asparagus. Stir to combine. Add the chickpeas, dill, chives, basil, feta, and arugula and toss again to combine. Pour the vinaigrette over the pasta salad and toss once more to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper if desired. You can serve this at room temperature, or chill in the fridge for 3 hours for best flavor.