Basil Lemon Pasta Salad
A refreshingly easy Basil Lemon Pasta Salad. This spring and summer pasta salad recipe is a lighter alternative to traditional pasta salads and easy to take to get togethers.
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta {shown with campanelle}
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 8 cracks black pepper or to taste
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup parmesan shavings
- ¼ cup fresh basil sliced thin
Instructions
- In a large pot of salty water, bring noodles to a boil and prepare al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to shock pasta.
- Meanwhile, combine white wine vinegar, olive oil, and lemon juice in a jar and shake well.
- In a large bowl toss pasta with dressing and pine nuts. Add fresh cracked pepper, basil and parmesan flakes.
- Refrigerate 2+ hours before serving.
Video
Notes
Substitutions
- Pasta - Use the noodle of your choice. I love campanelle, but bow tie pasta, cavatappi, fusilli (spiral), and penne all work well.
- Olive Oil - Extra virgin olive oil is preferred, but you can substitute with canola oil.
- Lemon Juice - Freshly squeezed or 100% Lemon Juice purchased in the produce section of your grocer.
- Pepper - Thick flakes of black pepper from a grinder on the largest setting adds flavor and texture.
- Pine Nuts - Adds a little protein a crunch to this pasta salad. Walnuts or almonds are great alternatives.
Tips
- Prepare Noodles Al Dente - Don’t overcook your noodles. This will prevent your pasta salad from becoming mushy. It also makes your noodles easier to toss. Overcooking your noodles can result in a mushy pasta salad.
- Shock Pasta - Rinse boiled noodles with cold water to shock them.
- Allow Pasta to Cool - Allow your pasta to cool before adding the pasta salad dressing and ingredients.
- Marinate - Let your pasta salad marinate refrigerated 2+ hours if possible.
To Store
Refrigerate - Refrigerate covered up to 2 days.Nutrition
Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 111mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg