As I’ve said before, I love pasta salads. There’s so much you can do with them by incorporating different ingredients and flavors. They’re so versatile too. They can be a main dish or side dish, or both. They help stretch the budget and feed a crowd as well.
This pasta salad features fingerling potatoes and is kind of a take and a twist on potato salad. It goes really well with grilled meats as a side dish and would be great to take along to a potluck.
My youngest son really loves this salad. It’s full of fresh flavors, like fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic and fresh dill. It’s got a slight crunch with the asparagus and saltiness of shaved parmesan cheese. I love the bright purple color of the fingerling potatoes. The bag I bought was a mixture of gold, red and purple. When they cook, the color intensifies.
Check out these pasta salads: Italian Pasta Salad, Shrimp Pasta Salad, Spicy Peanut Chicken Udon Noodle Pasta Salad.
What’s your favorite pasta salad?
- 1 pound Penne pasta
- 2 pounds Fingerling potatoes, halved, boiled and cooled
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 bunch Asparagus, blanched and cooled
- ½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
- Dressing:
- 1 lemon, zested
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic,minced
- ½ cup fresh dill, minced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Place the potato halves in a large pot and fill with cold water enough to just cover the potatoes.
- Cook over medium heat until fork-tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Drain well, spread onto a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until cold.
- Cut the bottom fibrous portion of asparagus off and discard, about an inch.
- In a large pot of salted, boiling water, blanch the asparagus by lowering it into the boiling water and cooking for 2 minutes.
- Remove from boiling water and immediately plunge the asparagus into ice water to stop the cooking process and chill; set aside.
- Cook the penne pasta according to package directions.
- When al dente, drain and run under cold water until thoroughly cooled. Place pasta into a large mixing bowl.
- In a medium jar with a tight fitting lid, combine all dressing ingredients and shake well to combine.
- Add cooked potatoes, asparagus and green onion to the pasta and toss lightly to combine.
- Dress with desired amount of dressing and toss to coat.
- Stir in shaved parmesan.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve at room temperature or cold.
I am passionate about good food, cooking for family and friends, and creating recipes that form lasting memories from one generation to the next. I hope you find inspiration for cooking and creating here!
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