Summer Pasta Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette

Aaahhh! I so badly wanted to get this post up earlier but today turned out to be an incredibly busy day. So i’m finally finished with the days happenings and I get to plop on the couch and blog!
FIRST, A VERY HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES!!

This year we’re going to be spending 4th of July at my parents house along with my hubbys family. Have to say that I am glad to get a break from entertaining. I was kept plenty busy May and June with the party hosting. Don’t get me wrong, I love cooking for parties BUT I hate the clean up.

Between running around with my boys and teaching zumba I swear it takes me at least a week to clean up from one days mess. With that being said, I have been assigned pasta salad and a few picky items for the day.

I’m going to include the pasta salad recipe in this post and the appetizers in another so this doesn’t become a never ending read. This pasta salad is really simple to make and the vinaigrette is incredibly light and refreshing.

Summer Pasta Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette

1 1/2 lbs cellentani pasta (or any medium sized pasta), cooked al dente
1 pint grape tomatoes, cut into halves
1 bunch asparagus
olive oil
salt and pepper
lemon basil vinaigrette (recipe below)

Cut off the lower 1-2 inches of the asparagus stem, this part tends to be tough. Toss the asparagus in olive oil, salt and pepper and grill for about 5-8 minutes, until tender.  Cut the stalks into threes. Toss together the pasta, tomatoes and asparagus.

Lemon Basil Vinaigrette


1 small shallot
1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (approx 4 lemons)
1 3/4 cup olive oil
2 hand fills of fresh basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Add all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. The vinaigrette will be a beautiful pale yellow color with beautiful speaks of basil. Pour over the pasta salad and toss until well covered. Chill in the refrigerator.

Happy Eats!!


*this is my original recipe*