New Recipes Asparagus, Lemon and Chevre Pasta Salad - ★Cooking Recipes★

This pasta salad is fresh and light and is a lovely companion to grilled chicken, fish or shrimp, and is ideal for picnic packing.Photo by Michael Olson.
Directions for: Asparagus, Lemon and Chevre Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1 lb(s) fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup melon seed pasta (acini di melone) or other small pasta such as acini di pepre (pepper seed, also called pepperini), or orzo

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup sliced radishes

1 cup finely diced celery

cup minced red onion

3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives

2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

salt and pepper

3 oz fresh goat cheese

juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

1. Bring a pot of water up to a boil and salt. Blanch the asparagus until just tender (about 3 minutes) and then drain and rinse with cold water to halt the cooking. Return the pot, filled with fresh water, to a boil, salt and then cook the pasta until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse to cool. Immediately after rinsing, toss the pasta with the olive oil, to prevent it from clumping.

2. Toss the pasta with the cooked asparagus, radishes, celery, red onion, chives, mint and lemon zest and season to taste. Chill until ready to serve, then toss the pasta with crumbled goat cheese and lemon juice immediately before serving.

See more: Salad, Lunch, Dinner, Main, Easy