Lemon Basil Pasta Salad
Lemon basil pasta salad is a bright, fresh take on the traditional summer side dish. Pasta gets tossed in a creamy citrusy dressing and studded with basil, peas, and pine nuts.
Once the weather warms up, I love dishes that I can eat cold.
Like this lemon basil pasta salad.
It’s a take on a traditional mayonnaise based pasta salad but with a fresh Italian twist.
Lemon juice and basil brighten this up and turn it into an irresistible dish you’ll want to make again and again!
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Pasta– Use a short pasta like farfalle, elbows, or penne.
- Olive oil– Extra virgin
- Vinegar– I recommend plain white vinegar but you could substitute red wine vinegar.
- Mayonnaise– Real full fat mayo and not mayonnaise style dressing.
- Lemon juice– Fresh not bottled.
- Frozen peas– Thawed
- Fresh basil– Cut into thin ribbons.
- Pine nuts– Can’t find them or too expensive? Use finely chopped walnuts instead.
- Parmesan cheese– Shredded. Make sure you have extra for garnish!
How to Make
This lemon basil pasta salad is so easy to make!
To do it, boil the noodles in salted water according to the package instructions to al dente.
Once they are done to al dente, strain the pasta and let it cool.
Transfer the cooled and drained pasta to a large mixing bowl along with the peas, pine nuts, basil, and parmesan cheese.
Gently toss to everything combine.
Then whisk together the oil, vinegar, mayo, and lemon juice to a small mixing bowl to evenly combine.
Pour this mixture over the pasta and gently toss it to coat everything.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Cover the pasta salad and let it chill for 1-2 hours.
Serve with extra Parmesan for garnish, if desired.
Enjoy!
Storing
This pasta salad holds up pretty well in the fridge.
You can store it in an air tight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Can I make it ahead of time?
Yes!
This is a fantastic recipe to make ahead.
I like to put it together the night before or the morning I am going to use it.
Tips and Tricks
- Cool the pasta faster by running it under cold water.
- Make it a full meal by adding grilled or rotisserie chicken.
- Not a fan of peas? That’s fine skip them in favor of other veggies you like. Grilled asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, or fresh halved cherry tomatoes would all go well in this.
- For extra zip, zest the lemon before squeezing out the juice and include the zest in the pasta salad.
Other Pasta Salad Recipes
Lemon basil pasta salad is a light, springy upgrade to regular pasta salad.
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other pasta salad recipes to add variety to your summer picnics and barbecues?
Try these:
- Creamy Poppy Seed Pasta Salad With Grapes
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Sweet Pasta Salad With Fruit & Honey
- Creamy Greek Pasta Salad
If you’ve tried this LEMON BASIL PASTA SALAD, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Lemon Basil Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb short pasta
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup white vinegar red wine vinegar can be substituted
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups frozen peas thawed
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 cup fresh basil chiffonade
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese + extra for garnish, if desired
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil the noodles in salted water according to the package instructions to al dente. Immediately strain the pasta and run under cold water until completely cooled.1 lb short pasta
- Transfer the cooled and drained pasta to a large mixing bowl. Add the peas, pine nuts, basil, and parmesan cheese then gently toss to combine.1 - 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, 1/4 cup pine nuts, 1/4 cup fresh basil, 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- Add the oil, vinegar, mayo, and lemon juice to a small mixing bowl. Whisk together to evenly combine. Pour this mixture over the pasta, again gently tossing just until everything's evenly combined. Season with salt & pepper, to taste.1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1 tbsp mayonnaise, 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice, salt & pepper
- Cover & chill for 1-2 hours.
- Serve with extra Parmesan for garnish, if desired.
Notes
- Cool the pasta faster by running it under cold water.
- Make it a full meal by adding grilled or rotisserie chicken.
- Not a fan of peas? That's fine skip them in favor of other veggies you like. Grilled asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, or fresh halved cherry tomatoes would all go well in this.
- For extra zip, zest the lemon before squeezing out the juice and include the zest in the pasta salad.
Nutrition
recipe adapted from Julie Blanner
