Pasta Salad with White Beans + Asparagus

Pasta Salad with White Beans + Asparagus is filling and flavor-packed for a Meatless Monday — or, a hearty side dish to take to your next BBQ or potluck.

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For our Meatless Monday recipe (on Tuesday) today, we’re cooking up a simple (and so colorful) Pasta Salad with White Beans + Asparagus! Since asparagus and tomatoes are back on sale this week, it’s a good time to take advantage of some fresh spring produce while the prices are good with this easy pasta salad recipe.

This hearty pasta salad is a lighter yet filling choice for a hot spring or summer day when you don’t want to heat up the whole house by using the oven, with such a great combination of textures and flavors going on. (We had our pasta salad for lunch, so I’m not sure we’ll be eating dinner here any time soon!)

Take a few minutes to browse through the Meatless Monday category for additional vegetarian main dish ideas, too.

Pasta Salad with White Beans + Asparagus

Ingredients

1 lb fresh asparagus
12 oz farfalle (bowtie) pasta
3 vine ripe tomatoes
15 oz can Cannellini beans
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup black olives
1/2 cup Greek vinaigrette
1/2 cup crumbled feta
Fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

Snap woody ends off asparagus and cut into bite-sized pieces. Cook pasta in salted water until al dente according to package directions, adding in cut asparagus for the last two minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse pasta + asparagus with cold water until completely cooled.

Core tomatoes, then cut them into bite-sized pieces. Drain and rinse beans; drain olives. Add cooked pasta, asparagus, tomatoes, beans, onion, and olives to a large bowl. Pour in Greek vinaigrette, then toss gently to combine. Refrigerate for one hour before serving. Just before serving, top with feta and chopped fresh parsley (optional), then toss. Enjoy chilled.

While your pasta chills…

Give the tomato cores to your backyard chickens; they’ll love ’em… 😉

But how did people love the pasta salad, is the real question? Well, Mr. 10 really liked all of it, while High School Guy picked around the asparagus. That’s about right! Me, I quite enjoyed the entire combination of flavors and textures in this pasta salad with white beans & asparagus — but will make my own dressing next time, because the bottled version here was a little too sweet for my taste. The salty feta & olives do help balance it out, but that’s just a personal preference.

Pasta Salad with White Beans + Asparagus, printable recipe

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Pasta Salad with White Beans + Asparagus

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This hearty pasta salad is a light yet filling choice for a hot spring or summer day when you don’t want to heat up the house by using the oven.

Servings 6

Author Rachel Singer

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh asparagus
• 12 oz farfalle (bowtie) pasta
• 3 vine ripe tomatoes
• 15 oz can Cannellini beans
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1/2 cup black olives
• 1/2 cup Greek vinaigrette
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• Fresh parsley (optional)

Instructions

• Snap woody ends off asparagus and cut into bite-sized pieces. 
• Cook pasta in salted water until al dente according to package directions, adding in cut asparagus for the last two minutes of cooking. 
• Drain and rinse pasta + asparagus with cold water until completely cooled.
• Core tomatoes, then cut them into bite-sized pieces.
• Drain and rinse beans; drain olives. 
•  Add cooked pasta, asparagus, tomatoes, beans, onion, and olives to a large bowl. 
• Pour in Greek vinaigrette, then toss gently to combine. 
• Refrigerate for one hour before serving. 
• Just before serving, top with feta and chopped fresh parsley (optional), then toss. Enjoy chilled.

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