Vegetarian

Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad is for Dinner.

Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad takes several minutes to prepare.

Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad takes several minutes to cook.

Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad makes 9 servings.

The ingredients for Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad are:

1 pounds asparagus
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 pound whole wheat spiral pasta
1 medium ripe tomato, diced
Salt and pepper, to taste

Here is how you make Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad:

Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add the asparagus spears. Cook until just tender, about 4 minutes. Without emptying the water from the pot, lift out the asparagus spears and place them in a colander. Rinse with cool water.Bring the water back to a boil. Add salt, if needed, and add pasta. Cook until the pasta is soft. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, and drain and rinse the pasta with cool water. Put into a serving bowl.Place the asparagus on a cutting board. Trim off the top 3 inches of the asparagus spears, and put the tips into the bowl with the pasta. Cut the bottoms into several pieces, and set aside to use in the pesto sauce.Use a food processor to make the pesto: With the processor running, drop in the garlic cloves and allow them to chop. Add 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts, and pulse to chop. Add the lemon juice, basil, salt, nutritional yeast, and the asparagus pieces (not the tips!) along with 3-6 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. (Start with 3 tbsp. water and add more as needed.) Puree until smooth.Toss the pasta, asparagus tips, and tomatoes (if using) with the pesto, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the remaining pine nuts. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate until ready to serve.Number of Servings: 9Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user AJEREMA.

The nutritional information for Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad is:

• Servings Per Recipe: 9
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 204.7

• Total Fat: 3.4 g
• Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
• Sodium: 1.7 mg
• Total Carbs: 34.4 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5.5 g
• Protein: 8.8 g

The dietary needs meet for Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad is Vegan