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    Home » Sides & Appetizers

    Light Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Asparagus

    Published: Jul 10, 2017 · Modified: Jan 3, 2019 by Gloria - The Greedy Vegan · This post may contain affiliate links · 20 Comments

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    Pasta salads have a special place in my heart, and this one has some of my favourite foods in it. Tomatoes, kalamata olives, asparagus and mustard. Yes! Mustard. I love it so much I try to sneak it into everything and this salad is not the exception. I added it to the dressing, so it is not overpowering but instead adds a lovely flavour to this light Mediterranean pasta salad.

    Light Mediterranean Pasta Salad

    Pasta salads are easy to make, can be adapted to anyone's taste and are quite inexpensive. What's not to love? This one is a lighter version and perfect for sweltering days. The fact that it is not drenched in salad dressing makes it ideal for packed lunches since it travels so well. I tend to make a larger portion of it and eat it the following day as well. If you want you can keep the dressing in a separate container and mix it just before you eat it but this one keeps well, at least in my opinion.

    Light Mediterranean Pasta Salad

    But let's talk about my favourite in this pasta salad, the olives. Kalamata olives are so incredibly packed with flavour, and I can highly recommend you buy the ones that are not pitted and remove the pit yourself. It might be a little bit messy, and you won't have perfectly sliced olives, but the flavour will be there. Don't get me wrong I love beautiful things, and I tend to get my food Instagram ready whether I post it on social media or not. Life is too short not to celebrate every single moment, but these little olives are worth the visual sacrifice.

    Light Mediterranean Pasta Salad

    Since we're talking about visuals, the next picture might look a little bit questionable, but that is exactly what you should do with your onions while the pasta is cooking. Slice them thinly and coat them with the salad dressing. This will pickle them slightly and give the dressing another depth of flavour.

    Light Mediterranean Pasta Salad

    Depending on the asparagus it is fine to eat it raw, especially when you get your hands on fresh green asparagus like this one. But I wanted to add some extra flavour and garlic, so I just gently sauteed it a little bit over low heat. I did this so that it softens slightly and absorbs the taste of the garlic and pepper while the pasta is cooking.

    Light Mediterranean Pasta Salad

    It's worth doing this little extra step, trust me. Just look at this lovely portion and talking about portions, do tag me in your Instagram posts with #gloriathegreedyvegan  if you make pasta salads. I am curious what you guys are adding to your versions.

    Light Mediterranean Pasta Salad

     

    Light Mediterranean Pasta Salad

    The Greedy Vegan
    This light Mediterranean pasta salad is a lighter version and perfect for sweltering days. It's served with sauteed asparagus and a lovely mustard dressing.
    4.63 from 8 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Course Salad
    Cuisine Vegan
    Servings 4 portions
    Calories 320 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 175 g farfalle
    • 150 g asparagus
    • 2 teaspoon olive oil
    • 2 cloves of garlic minced
    • 150 g cherry tomatoes halved
    • 50 g red onion finely sliced - about half an onion
    • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

    For the dressing:

    • 3 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon agave syrup or sweetener of your preference
    • 1 clove of garlic minced
    • 2 teaspoon mustard mild
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • 1 pinch of cayenne pepper
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions
     

    • Slice the onion as thinly as possible. Mix it with the ingredients of the dressing in a bowl and set aside.

    • Cook the pasta following its instructions and drain it when done.

    • While the pasta is cooking, trim the asparagus to remove any dry ends but don't remove too much. You should just slice the ends off thinly - if necessary. Cut the Asparagus into pieces and place them into a pan. Add 2 teaspoon olive oil, minced garlic and a pinch of pepper. Saute the asparagus for a few minutes over medium heat. You want to cook it gently, so it still has a bite to it.

    • Your pasta and asparagus should be done at about the same time. Add the pasta, asparagus and onions with the dressing into a large bowl and give it a gentle mix.

    • Serve immediately or let it cool down fully and serve chilled. Scatter 1tbsp of freshly chopped parsley over it just before serving.

    Notes

    This salad can be served as main, and in that case, this recipe is enough for 2 portions.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Light Mediterranean Pasta Salad
    Serving Size
     
    1 portion
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    320
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    13
    g
    20
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    6
    %
    Sodium
     
    620
    mg
    27
    %
    Potassium
     
    273
    mg
    8
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    42
    g
    14
    %
    Fiber
     
    2
    g
    8
    %
    Sugar
     
    7
    g
    8
    %
    Protein
     
    7
    g
    14
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    545
    IU
    11
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    13.5
    mg
    16
    %
    Calcium
     
    28
    mg
    3
    %
    Iron
     
    1.7
    mg
    9
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shannon

      July 17, 2017 at 4:21 pm

      I love pasta salads! I like that this recipe has simple and healthy ingredients. I’m always looking for healthy salads to use for lunches and dinner sides. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    2. Heidi

      July 17, 2017 at 4:29 pm

      Oh, this salad looks amazing! Pinning to try for lunch. I love how you slightly pickled the onions. I’m definitely trying that.

      Reply
    3. corinne & kirsty

      July 17, 2017 at 6:38 pm

      I love asparagus! and tomatoes in pasta is amazing! this recipe really look delicious!xx corinne

      Reply
    4. Jenn JG

      July 17, 2017 at 7:18 pm

      This Looks delicious! I love Pasta Salads. Going to have to try this for one of our upcoming summer bbq’s! Thanks for sharing

      Reply
    5. Jessica Taylor

      July 17, 2017 at 7:41 pm

      5 stars
      I love pasta salad! There is something so cool and refreshing about it that I can’t get over! I will have to try this one!

      Reply
    6. Amber Myers

      July 17, 2017 at 11:55 pm

      5 stars
      Mmm, this looks like a fantastic salad. I'd have the leave the olives off mine though! But everything else looks great.

      Reply
    7. Heather Johnson

      July 18, 2017 at 12:34 am

      You had me at pasta, which I absolutely love! Your light Mediterranean pasta salad sounds absolutely perfect for hot summer weather! Yummers!

      Reply
    8. Sincerely Ophelia

      July 18, 2017 at 5:16 am

      This pasta looks great! I love light pastas like these!

      Reply
    9. Sarah-Louise Bailey

      July 18, 2017 at 5:43 am

      Looks so delicious! I 'll put this on my menu list and will try to cook this for my family and friends they will love this much.

      Reply
    10. Ana De- Jesus

      July 18, 2017 at 9:58 am

      Now that is one delicious looking pasta salad. When the weather is warm I love nothing more than a Med salad and the fact that yours is vegetarian is even better for me! x

      Reply
      • Gloria

        July 18, 2017 at 10:38 am

        OMG! #fangirling. I love your blog so much! - Love, G.

        Reply
    11. Blair villanueva

      July 18, 2017 at 11:02 am

      5 stars
      Your recipe makes me super hungry. I would love to paired this with my favorite vino. Yummylicious!

      Reply
    12. Sondra

      July 19, 2017 at 4:24 am

      Love pasta salads they are always a perfect and quick recipe . This one looks amazing and would be great for get togethers.

      Reply
    13. Amila Wickramarachchi

      July 19, 2017 at 8:05 am

      I am a pasta lover.So this dish makes me hungry!It looks delicious and the sauce looks creamy.I haven’t tried asparagus in a pasta dish before.So I will try next time to see how it tastes!

      Reply
    14. fashionmommy

      July 19, 2017 at 11:09 am

      Asparagus is one of my favourite ingredients, and I love the idea of using it with pasta, it looks delicious.

      Reply
    15. Cynthia Nicoletti

      July 19, 2017 at 4:41 pm

      I love to make Pasta to salads. I have never tried it with asparagus but it sounds really good and asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables.

      Reply
    16. Rebecca Swenor

      July 20, 2017 at 2:19 am

      4 stars
      This light Mediterranean pasta salad with asparagus sounds interesting. I don't like dressing but I would love to try it without the dressing and make the dressing for my family. Asparagus is one of our favorite veggies. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

      Reply
      • Gloria

        July 20, 2017 at 7:48 am

        You can skip the dressing and use pesto if you want. - Love, G.

        Reply
    17. lex

      July 20, 2017 at 11:47 am

      my o my, i somuch like the look and feel of this awesome meal. am sure it sure tastes great as it looks. i love meals vegan so i love this too.

      Reply
    18. Oyinkan Ogunleye

      July 24, 2017 at 7:19 pm

      5 stars
      I love pasta with greens… well anything with greens! LOL its always delicious!

      Reply

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