I’ll forever be a Texan at heart, but the summers in Minnesota are out of this world perfect.  I’ve been feeling a little sad that we won’t be able to experience the beautiful lakeside cookouts and weekend barbecues quite like usual this year. My friends are leaning towards smaller gatherings with socially-distanced picnics, virtual patio hang outs, and this vegetarian pasta salad.

But just because our settings look different doesn’t mean we have to give up our favorite summer foods. I still plan to relish the sweetness of watermelon and peaches, burgers off the grill and charred veggies, and heaps of fresh salads with the best produce of the year.

When it comes to summer salads, I’m 1000% on board with all of them. And while I love a classic pasta or potato salad drenched in mayonnaise, I also lean on fresh and clean flavors for my regular rotation during this time of year. To kick off the season, I’ve got the perfect vegetarian pasta salad that is just as good tossed fresh in your kitchen as it is packed up in Tupperware for a social-distancing picnic.

Let’s chat about the components of this pasta salad.

I actually used a chickpea pasta – elbow shape because I personally think it’s a must for pasta salad – but you can use any short pasta you have on hand. I was FaceTiming with my brother while cooking, and he mentioned that for any good pasta salad, you want to cook your pasta just past the al dente stage. We have a lot of pasta salad opinions in our family.

Load up on the fresh herbs, they really are a gift from summer. Mint, basil, green onions, dill, anything you have in your garden (or kitchen!) will work great and add the best dose of freshness to this, and any salad. For the veggies, I actually think less is more. You can totally use anything you have in the fridge, but my suggestion is to stick to a handful of veggies and really lean in. I love the combo of cucumbers, radishes, and peas, as they are mild enough to let the flavors of the dressing and herbs shine while also adding great texture and crunch.

Speaking of this dressing is my favorite make-every-week dressing that I put on everything from salads to roasted veggies to sandwiches. While I am a mayo-obsessive, I have plenty of friends who avoid the condiment at any cost. I really don’t understand the aversion, but because I love my friends while also believing pasta salads aren’t complete without a creamy dressing, I figured my ultimate sauce would work well here and of course, I was correct. Made with a base of tahini and miso, this dressing leans heavy on umami flavors that are still light and bright enough to not overpower the rest of the ingredients.

If you’re not familiar with tahini, I highly recommend it as a pantry staple to have on hand. It’s traditional to mediterranean and middle eastern cuisine, and of course, an integral part of any hummus recipe. But what I really like about it for dressings is that the flavor is mild enough to act as a base for other flavors you want to add. In this case, tahini plays the part of adding creaminess while the miso creates the most amazing flavor. Just like tahini, I love having miso, a Japanese staple ingredient, on hand to add to broths, dips, and other recipes for a really great savory and umami flavor. Go heavy-handed on this dressing, just trust me.

Pasta salad really is one of my favorite parts of the season, and our “new normal” still leaves plenty of room for all the summer foods that spark joy!

Summer Veggie Pasta Salad with Feta & Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Serves 4

Pasta salad should always be this good. Tossed with fresh summer veggies and a miso tahini dressing, this pasta salad is perfect for summer.

By Suruchi Avasthi
Prep

20 minutes

Cook

10 minutes


Ingredients

  • 1 cup dry pasta
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 cup of radishes, chopped
  • 1/2 a large seedless cucumber, cubed
  • 4 oz of feta cheese, cubed
  • 1/2 cup fresh herbs of choice, chopped (more if desired)
  • salt and pepper to taste

for the dressing:

  • 1 tbsp white miso paste
  • 1 1/2 tbsp tahini
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp olive oil

Instructions

  1. Bring a medium pot of water up to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pasta from the water and into a serving bowl.
  2. Add the peas to the pasta water to blanche for about 30 seconds. Drain the peas and add to the serving bowl.
  3. Let the peas and pasta cool completely before adding the rest of the ingredients.
  4. Add the radishes, cucumber, feta, and herbs to the bowl. Toss the ingredients together.
  5. To make the dressing, add all of the ingredients to a small mason jar and shake to combine until smooth. Taste and adjust flavor as desired.
  6. Pour the dressing over the pasta and veggies, toss to combine.* Salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Place pasta salad in fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to let the flavors combine. Enjoy cold.

*I recommend doubling the amount of dressing, you can dress the salad with extra dressing or save the extra dressing for other salads.

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Comments (4)
  1. 1
    Michelle Nash June 1, 2020 at 9:57 am

    YUM! This looks amazing. I’m especially dying to try this dressing ! Which brand of chickpea pasta do you like?

    Reply
    • Suruchi Avasthi June 1, 2020 at 12:43 pm

      I love Banza! It’s the only lentil-type pasta I’ve found to be the closest to the real thing (:

      Reply
  2. 2
    Ed Lu June 4, 2020 at 1:59 pm

    Great recipes that I will pass on to my wife. I don’t think I could ever find the ingredients.

    Reply
  3. 3
    Brian July 2, 2020 at 12:55 am

    Wonderful recipe!

    Reply