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If you are looking for a burst of sunshine on your plate this summer, look no further than this easy pasta salad recipe. Lemon Herb Pasta Salad combines fresh mint, basil, parsley, tossed in a simple zesty lemon tahini dressing finished with toasted pine nuts.
I had a ton of fresh herbs leftover from a recipe I was making last week and knew I had to come up with a recipe to ensure they didn’t go to waste. And what screams summer more than pasta salad? Well – this lemon herb easy pasta salad recipe does!
🍋 Why You’ll Love Lemon Herb Pasta Salad
Easy to prepare: requiring a few ingredients.
Versatile: great recipe for a light lunch, BBQ side dish, picnic or potluck.
Light & refreshing: the combination of pasta, lemon, fresh herbs, garlic, tahini and olive oil perfectly capture summertime.
🗒 Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Lemon Herb Pasta Salad
Farfalle pasta: this pasta shape isn’t just cute, its nooks and crannies hold all of that flavourful lemon tahini dressing.
Olive oil: used as the base of the dressing.
Maple syrup: adds a subtle sweetness and balances the acidity of the lemon juice and zest.
Tahini: provides a creamy texture that is slightly nutty in flavour.
Grainy dijon mustard: adds a zesty tang that pairs well with the tahini and lemon juice.
Pine nuts: offer a buttery crunch.
Lemon: used as the acid in the dressing.
Garlic: well, because garlic.
Fresh parsley, basil & mint: provides a refreshing and herbaceous flavour to the lemon herb pasta salad.
✍🏼 How To Make Lemon Herb Pasta Salad
- Prepare the pasta: first, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and gently toss with a generous splash of olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking.
- Make the dressing: secondly, prepare the dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a small blender or food processor.
- Prepare the herbs: by giving them a fine chop.
- Assemble: next, combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Garnish: finally, finish with toasted pine nuts.
🗒️ Variations & Substitutions
Pasta variations: opt for your favourite smaller pasta in this recipe. For example, penne, macaroni or cavatappi.
Nut variations: for a nut free version simply omit the nuts. Alternatively, swap the pine nuts for toasted almonds or walnuts.
🤝 Pairs Well With
🤔 FAQ’s
Unlike creamy based pasta salads that benefit from sitting in the fridge for a few days, I don’t recommend making my lemon herb pasta salad this far in advance. The reason for this is that the olive oil will naturally solidify as it chills in the fridge which can alter the texture. I suggest making this about half hour before you plan on serving it.
Certainly! Alternatively, toasted walnuts or almond are great options.
Generally, I say 2-3 days. Keep in mind, as olive oil sits in the fridge it will naturally solidify. Therefore, I recommend taking the pasta salad out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before serving as this will allow the olive oil to return to its liquid state. I also recommend drizzling with a little extra olive oil if needed.
🍴 Leftovers? Lucky you.
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Keep in mind the olive oil in the dressing will have solidified at this point. Therefore, to restore its texture, allow the pasta salad to come to room temperature. In addition, I recommend adding a drizzle of olive oil to re-emulsify the dressing.
👩🏻🍳 Hungry For More?
- Honey Roasted Carrots
- Stuffed Eggplant
- Eggplant Meatballs
- Yogurt Marinated Chicken
- Orecchiette with Asparagus and Peas
- Crispy Rice Salad
💌 Let’s Stay Connected
Keep in touch with me on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest! If you do make this recipe (or any recipe of mine) don’t forget to leave a review.
Lemon Herb Pasta Salad
Equipment
- 1 small blender or food processor
- 1 large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 225 grams farfalle pasta, or pasta similar in size
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped fine
- 3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped fine
- 3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped fine
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
Dressing
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 small lemon, juiced, 2-3 tbsp to taste
- 2 tbsp sesame tahini
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp grainy dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the pasta: to a large pot of generously salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and toss with a generous splash of olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking. Sammy's tip: allow the pasta to cool before adding the dressing and herbs to avoid the herbs from wilting.
- Make the dressing: while the pasta is cooking, prepare the dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a small blender or food processor. Mix until smooth.
- Chop the herbs: finely chop the parsley, basil and mint.
- Assemble: to a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, fresh herbs, lemon zest and dressing. Gently toss to combine, ensuring each piece of pasta is coated.
- Garnish: with toasted pine nuts and fresh cracked pepper.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
