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5 from 8 votes

Lemon Summer Pasta Salad

This summer pasta salad is bright and flavorful. A delicious homemade lemon dressing, fresh dill and in-season summer vegetables make this lemon pasta salad irresistibly delicious! A perfect BBQ side dish!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Chilling2 hours
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Diet: Low Lactose, Vegetarian
Servings: 16 servings
Author: Laura

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 4 cups penne pasta (dry) (16 oz, 1 lb or 454 g)
  • 1 cucumber peeled and diced
  • 1 pint baby tomatoes halved
  • 1 red pepper diced
  • 1 green pepper diced
  • ½ cup red onion diced
  • fresh dill chopped
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese

Lemon Dressing:

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook pasta:

  • Cook pasta according to package instructions in salted water. Drain and do not rinse. Let the pasta cool slightly before proceeding with the recipe.

While pasta is cooking make the dressing:

  • Add dressing ingredients to a small bowl.
  • Whisk to combine.
  • Alternatively, you can add the ingredients to a glass jar and shake it to combine.
  • Set aside.

Assemble the pasta salad

  • In a large bowl combine pasta, vegetables, onion and half of the dressing, parmesan cheese and fresh dill and stir to combine. Save the rest of the dressing.
  • Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  • When ready to serve, toss with remaining dressing. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
  • Garnish with fresh dill.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions
  • Penne pasta. any shape of pasta can be used in this recipe. Our favorites include (but are not limited to): fusilli, farfalle (bowties), gemelli, and rotelle (wheels).
  • Vegetables. this summer pasta salad recipe calls for cucumbers, baby tomatoes and bell peppers. Feel free to use your favorite veggies. Some suggestions include: blanched broccoli, zucchini, peas, corn, avocado, shredded carrots, heirloom tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, etc.
  • Olive oil. avocado oil is a good substitute for olive oil.
  • Red onion. any onion variety works well. Aside from red, yellow and white are good choices.
  • Fresh dill. freeze-dried dill can be used in place of fresh, but I suggest fresh if you can.
  • Mustard. we use Dijon, any variety works well.
  • Parmesan cheese. feta cheese, goat cheese and fresh mozzarella all taste great in this summer pastas salad.
  • Lemon juice. fresh or bottled both work great.
  • Honey. maple syrup or granulated sugar are good substitutes for honey.

Store

Store leftover lemon pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I don' recommend freezing this recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 62mg | Potassium: 208mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 546IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1mg