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Summer Pasta Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

By Alexandra Caspero on August 5, 2016
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Summer Pasta Salad with Lemon-Tahini dressing! If you like Goddess salad dressing, you will love this salad! Noodles, four vegetables, tahini dressing, parsley and basil. 

Summer Pasta Salad with Lemon-Tahini dressing this Recipe

Pasta salad! Just in case you needed more reasons to fire up the grill, invite friends over and cookout.

Now that our summer travel season has almost slowed down, I’m looking forward to the best part of the season: doing nothing. BL and I are kinda late to the game when it comes to figuring out how to enjoy summer best. For the past few years, we’ve packed our weekends with short trips and bookended those with a week  here and there. While it’s a fun few months, it also leaves us completely exhausted and overextended. I’m looking forward to the next month of blissful laziness; Friday afternoons at the park, sleeping in, and leisurely Sunday walks to grab coffee.

Also, lots and lots of cookouts.

Whisking together the Lemon-Tahini Dressing This is the perfect summer salad for warm days

Summer Pasta Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

One of my favorite things about our new house is the porch. Mostly in the fact that we’ve never really had a true porch before. Previous condo living hasn’t exactly offered that.

But, now we have it! And I never want to leave. We’ve strung up lights, plotted down furniture, and turned our backyard into a mini, humidity-filled oasis that I never want to leave. It’s also the perfect backdrop for impromptu gatherings, for which this pasta salad is perfect for.

I was inspired by one of my favorite salad dressings, Annie’s Goddess Dressing. My god. That stuff is so incredible, I would eat almost anything slathered in it. Including pasta! And lots of fresh vegetables.

This one is technically a giant pasta and vegetable salad covered with Goddess dressing. Are you with me yet? The best part is that while you get to enjoy the comfort of a pasta salad, it’s fairly nutrient dense– packing in almost 8 cups of vegetables into the finished dish! Which, if you haven’t guessed by now, is my favorite way to eat pasta.

Tossing the salad with the lemon-tahini dressing Summer pasta salad in a bowl with a cloth

Finish it off with lots of fresh herbs (because, summer) and you’re set! Cheers to the weekend.

If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking! 

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Summer Pasta Salad with Lemon-Tahini dressing! If you like Goddess salad dressing, you will love this salad! Noodles, four vegetables, tahini dressing, parsley and basil. Vegan | www.delishknowledge.com

Summer Pasta Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

  • Author: Alex Caspero
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x
  • Category: salad, sidedish, pasta
  • Method: Stove top
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Summer Pasta Salad with Lemon-Tahini dressing! If you like Goddess salad dressing, you will love this salad! Noodles, four vegetables, tahini dressing, parsley and basil. Vegan.

Print Recipe
  • Author: Alex Caspero
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x
  • Category: salad, sidedish, pasta
  • Method: Stove top
  • Cuisine: American
  • Author: Alex Caspero
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x
  • Category: salad, sidedish, pasta
  • Method: Stove top
  • Cuisine: American
Scale

Ingredients

  • 16 oz (1 lb) fusilli pasta (or other short noodle)
  • 1 head broccoli, finely chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 zucchini, chopped
  • 2 ears fresh sweet corn
  • Tahini Dressing:
  • 1/4 cup tahini paste
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • Garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Using a large slotted spoon, scoop out the cook pasta and place in a colander. Rinse under cold water and set aside.
  2. Prep an ice bath by placing ice cubes and water into a large bowl.
  3. With the same pot of water as the pasta was cooking in, add the broccoli and zucchini and cook for 1-2 minutes until bright green. Transfer the vegetables immediately into the ice bath bowl and let sit until cool to the touch. Drain in the same colander as the pasta.
  4. Prep the rest of the vegetables: chop the pepper and remove the kernels from the cob of the corn with a knife. Since sweet corn is in season right now and so tender, I call for it raw. If your corn is more mature, then feel free to steam it before removing the kernels.
  5. Place all of the vegetables and cooked pasta into a large bowl.
  6. Make the dressing: whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, maple syrup, salt and pepper together. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and continue to whisk until very smooth. The tahini may break before it starts to become smooth, and that’s OK. Keep whisking. If the dressing it too thick, add a tablespoon or two of hot water to thin it out.
  7. Pour dressing over the salad and toss together.
  8. Stir in fresh herbs and serve.

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Meet Alex Caspero

Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Plant-Based Chef and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.

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    1. Lauren Grant
      August 5, 2016 AT 2:30 pm

      Such a simple ingredient list that’s full of big flavors! And I love that it’s packed with veggies!

      Reply
    2. Kathryn Doherty
      August 5, 2016 AT 11:41 am

      Yes! My favorite pasta salads are the ones that are jam packed with veggies and I love the variety you have here! And I cannot resist a tahini-based dressing so clearly I need this in my life 😉 Pinned!

      Reply
    3. Kathryn Doherty
      August 5, 2016 AT 11:41 am

      Yes! My favorite pasta salads are the ones that are jam packed with veggies and I love the variety you have here! And I cannot resist a tahini-based dressing so clearly I need this in my life 😉 Pinned!

      Reply
      1. Alex @ DelishKnowledge
        August 5, 2016 AT 2:07 pm

        Thanks Kathryn! Me either- tahini dressings are my favorite!

        Reply
    4. Rebecca @ Strength & Sunshine
      August 5, 2016 AT 9:37 am

      O yes, this is perfect! But when is a recipe not when tahini is involved? 😉

      Reply
      1. Alex @ DelishKnowledge
        August 5, 2016 AT 2:07 pm

        Ha! Yes, exactly! 🙂

        Reply

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