Primavera Pasta Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette
When Spring is just around the corner, this light Primavera pasta salad hits the spot! Tender penne pasta with fresh, crisp spring vegetables nestled in a light, dairy-free Dijon dressing. Perfect for outdoor dining or large groups!
Traditionally, Pasta primavera consists of pasta and assorted spring vegetables with a light cream sauce, but this recipe uses a dairy-free dressing that doesn’t over power the flavors of the vegetables.
- No creamy dressing – The Dijon vinaigrette pairs beautifully with the penne pasta and lightly blanched veggies
- Perfect for outdoor dining– Al fresco dining? Take this primavera pasta salad to your outdoor family reunion or picnic and don’t worry about it going bad in the heat
- Great for large groups – this makes about 8-12 servings so if you’re feeding a crowd, this salad will work without breaking the bank
Ingredients
Primavera means “spring” so you’ll want to use fresh spring vegetables in your salad mix. You can put in whatever vegetables you like, but this recipe uses:
- Penne pasta – tubular pasta noodles work better than strand pasta because they absorb and retain that delicious vinaigrette
- Spring vegetables – asparagus tips, broccoli florets, carrots, grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes), zucchini, sugar snap peas, frozen peas, fresh parsley.
Of course, you can add other veggies like red bell peppers, green bell peppers, shallots- the important thing is to keep the ratio of veggies to pasta in balance. 1 pound of pasta: 4-5 cups of diced veggies.
The Dijon dressing ingredients are:
- Dijon mustard
- Red wine vinegar
- Olive oil
- Fresh lemon juice
- Honey
- Minced garlic – Worcestershire sauce
- Brown sugar
- Salt and ground white pepper
How to make it
This is an overview of how to make primavera pasta salad. See the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and step-by-step instructions.
- The prep time is the most consuming, so get a sharp knife and dice all the veggies first. Then whisk together the ingredients for the Dijon vinaigrette. Set all this aside.
- Meanwhile, bring a large stockpot of water to high heat
- Blanch the broccoli, sugar snap peas, zucchini and asparagus tips in the hot water for 5 min; immediately transfer the blanched vegetables to a cold ice water bath (the ice bath keeps the spring vegetables a vibrant color and stops the cooking process so they are crisp)
- Add pasta to the same stockpot of hot water and cook to al dente as indicated on the package
- Drain the pasta, add a drizzle of the Dijon vinaigrette and apple cider; combine well and allow the pasta to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally
- Transfer the blanched vegetables to the pasta, add the diced carrots and thawed peas, add more dressing and season to taste with salt and ground white pepper.
Some folks garnish with chopped fresh parsley or chives; you can sprinkle a little parmesan cheese over it if you like
Recipe tips
- You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand, just keep the ratio of pasta-to-vegetables 1:4; One pound of pasta to 4 cups of diced veggies
- Cut the vegetables into small pieces except for the sugar snap peas – leave them whole
- Tubular pasta works best for this recipe. You can use penne, rigatoni, or ziti pasta.
Storage and make ahead
If time isn’t on your side, make the Dijon vinaigrette and store it in an airtight container or Mason Jar in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to use, whisk well to ensure the vinaigrette ingredients are fully incorporated.
Dice the spring vegetables and store in a zip plastic bag. Do not blanch them before storing. It’s best to keep them raw and dry until you’re ready to use them in the primavera.
You can make the pasta in advance as well. Boil the pasta, dress it with the Dijon vinaigrette and apple cider vinegar, then store in an airtight container or plastic zip bag in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to use, allow pasta to come to room temperature.
Pasta Primavera with Dijon vinaigrette is a light and filling pasta dish that is ideal for a quick snack or entree.
More Spring recipes
- Vermicelli Pasta Summer Salad
- Creamy Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- Seafood Cobb Salad
- Hawaiian Pasta Salad
- Hearts of Palm Salad
Pasta Primavera
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1 cup chopped broccoli florets
- 1 cup sliced asparagus tips See recipe notes
- 1 cup diced zucchini (about 1 large zucchini)
- 4 ounces sugar snap peas See recipe notes
- ½ cup finely diced carrots (about 1 big carrot)
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1 pint grape tomatoes sliced in half See recipe notes
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup Dijon Vinaigrette- recipe below
- salt
- ground white pepper
Dijon Vinaigrette Ingredients (makes ¾ cup)
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon finely minced garlic (about 1 clove minced)
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- chopped chives; garnish (optional)
Instructions
Prep
- Make the Dijon Vinaigrette; in a small mixing bowl, combine vinaigrette ingredients and whisk until fully incorporated; set aside3 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon honey, ½ teaspoon packed light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon finely minced garlic, ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Chop the veggies, measure and set aside; get a big bowl and fill it with ice and water; set aside1 cup chopped broccoli florets, 1 cup sliced asparagus tips, 1 cup diced zucchini, 4 ounces sugar snap peas, ½ cup finely diced carrots, 1 pint grape tomatoes sliced in half
- Blanch some of the veggies: heat 6 quarts of water in a large stockpot on medium high temperature. Right before the water begins to boil, add in the chopped broccoli, zucchini, asparagus and sugar snap peas. (Do not add the diced carrots or frozen peas to the blanching water.)Let the green veggies blanch in the hot water for 2 – 3 minutes; remove veggies from hot water and transfer immediately to the ice water bath; once the veggies have cooled transfer them to a mixing bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the Dijon vinaigrette; coat well and set aside
Make the salad
- Use the same stockpot and water you used to blanch the veggies in. You might have to add a little more water, but use the same pot to cook the pasta. Cook it to al dente, according to the package directions. When the pasta is done, drain it and transfer it to a big mixing bowl. Do not rinse the pasta.1 pound penne pasta
- Drizzle the drained pasta with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, ½ cup of the Dijon vinaigrette, ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt, apple cider vinegar. Combine well and set aside; allow to cool1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, salt, ground white pepper, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Fold in the blanched vegetables, toss in the thawed frozen peas, diced carrots and grape tomatoes; add more Dijon dressing to the mixture and coat well.1 cup frozen peas, thawed, 1 pint grape tomatoes sliced in half
- Season to taste with salt and ground white pepper; garnish with chives (optional); serve at room temperaturesalt, ground white pepper, chopped chives; garnish (optional)
