Spring in a Bowl The Herby, Creamy Orecchiette Pasta Salad With Honey Dijon Dressing
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- For the Pasta Salad
- 1 pound dry orecchiette pasta
- 1½ cups fresh or frozen peas
- 3 medium radishes thinly sliced
- 1 small bunch asparagus chopped into 1-inch pieces
- One 15 oz can garbanzo beans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill roughly chopped
- 3 scallions green onions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- For the Honey Dijon Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 large lemon about 3 tablespoons
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Step 1: Cook Pasta
- Bring large pot of generously salted water to rolling boil
- Add orecchiette and cook 10-11 minutes until al dente
- Drain and rinse briefly under cold water
- Cool to room temperature
- Step 2: Steam Asparagus
- Trim woody ends from asparagus
- Chop into 1-inch pieces
- Steam over boiling water 3-4 minutes until just tender
- Transfer to cold water immediately to stop cooking
- Drain well
- Step 3: Prepare Ingredients
- Thinly slice radishes
- Rinse and drain garbanzo beans, pat dry
- Roughly chop parsley and dill
- Thinly slice scallions
- Zest lemon before juicing
- Toast pine nuts in dry skillet 2-3 minutes until golden
- Stir frequently and transfer to plate immediately
- Step 4: Combine Salad
- In large mixing bowl, combine cooled pasta, peas, radishes, asparagus, garbanzo beans, ricotta, parsley, dill, scallions, pine nuts, and lemon zest
- Season with salt and black pepper
- Toss gently to distribute evenly
- Step 5: Make Dressing
- In small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, and salt
- Whisk vigorously until completely emulsified
- Dressing should be smooth and uniform
- Taste and adjust seasoning
- Step 6: Dress Salad
- Pour dressing over pasta salad
- Toss thoroughly to coat all ingredients
- Make sure dressing reaches bottom of bowl
- Step 7: Chill and Serve
- Cover bowl and refrigerate minimum 1 hour
- Serve cold or at room temperature