Spring Pasta Salad

(cover image by the goregous Christine McAvoy)

Here's the truth: I have been working too hard lately. But it's for democracy, so....

On March 22, our new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, called a snap election, and the next day, I became part of the team at Vancouver Centre. It's been a really eye-opening experience. Up till now, my only experience has been as a voter, so learning the behind-the-scenes of how an election actually happens has been quite educational. Not just how an election happens, but how an election happens in 37 days. To say the experience has been intense and consuming is an understatement. We've been working a lot of really long hours.

And because of that, I've been trying to meal prep stuff, otherwise I just wouldn't eat, or resort to, in desperation (as I did after on 12-hour day) to the A&W that's a block and a half away (mmmm Beyond Burger tho).

It's spring, so let's bust out the spring ingredients! I really wanted asparagus for this, but I couldn't find any the day I made it, and the next day it was in stores, so I missed it by one day. But mine includes lots of plant-based protein in the form of spring peas (from my freezer--lol), fresh spring greens, and salty, briny cheese along with olives and artichoke hearts.

There's lots of lemon, lots of bright, spring freshness. This spring pasta salad is easy to make and it'll last you for a few days. It's one of those recipes that just gets better as it sits in the fridge.

 See you at the polls on Monday!

Spring Pasta Salad

Rebecca Coleman

A bright and sunny pasta salad full of spring ingredients.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Canadian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

For the salad

• 250 grams dried pasta use penne or rigatoni, I used cascarecce
• 1/2 zuchhini, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup green olives, sliced
• 1/4 cup canned artichoke hearts, chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup arugula
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped herbs I used Italian parsley

For the dressing

• 1 large lemon
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1-2 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped

Instructions

 

For the pasta salad

• Bring a large pot of salted water up to the boil and then add the pasta. Cook according to package directions until al dente.
• About a minute before the pasta is cooked, add the peas and stir well.
• Drain the pasta and the peas, and then add them to a large bowl.
• Into the bowl, while the pasta is still hot, add the zucchini, olives, artichoke hearts and the arugula, and toss well to combine. Place in the fridge to cool.

For the dressing

• Zest the lemon into a medium-sized bowl, then cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl as well.
• Add the grated garlic, mustard, salt and pepper, and whisk well to combine.
• While whisking, drizzle in the olive oil.
• Toss the dressing with the salad, and then crumble the feta on top to finish along with the chopped herbs.

Keyword pasta, pasta salad, spring, vegetarian