Summer’s Bounty Pasta Salad (with lemon basil dressing!)

Summer’s Bounty Pasta Salad featuring all of summer’s finest harvest, tossed with a lemon basil dressing, and topped with avocado and feta! So fresh. So delicious. I could eat this every single day.

Lemon and basil packed pasta salad featuring all sorts of summer veggies!

This recipe is super flexible with variations so you can cater it to your tastes. This version is personally my favorite combo. Whole wheat pasta, artichoke hearts, red onion, sweet summer tomatoes, chickpeas, avocado, feta, and a dressing absolutely loaded with lemon and basil! I highly recommend enjoying this pasta salad on the patio along with a cold glass of sangria. Ah, summer. I had some extra corn on hand so I blistered (charred on the stove with some butter) a bit of that and threw it in. If you want a little bit more green in this salad, I recommend tossing in a few handfuls of arugula. Fresh, healthy, simple, perfection.

This keeps well in the fridge for a few days, so it’s great to make for work lunches. It is the perfect dish for summer parties too!

All tossed together and ready to be devoured! I added the chickpeas which I forgot in the photos above (derp!) and tossed some tuna on top for extra protein.

If you want some easy protein to toss on top of this salad, I love using quality tuna packed in oil. I found this tuna at Costco recently and it is my favorite to date. I’ve also found decent tuna packed in oil at Trader Joe’s.

I hope you’ll try this delicious and healthy summer meal! Other than the time to chop everything, all of the steps are quite simple and it makes enough to have lunch for a few days. Enjoy!

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Summer's Bounty Pasta Salad (with lemon basil dressing!)

Fresh summer veggies packed into a bowl, tossed with a lemon basil dressing, and topped with avocado and feta. This delicious and healthy pasta salad makes great lunches for work, is simple to make, and is just so darn tasty! Plus, easily customizable so you can add what you have on hand and make it your own!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 2/3 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup avocado oil or olive oil
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/2-1tsp to taste
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper 1/2-1tsp to taste

Pasta Salad:

• 16 oz whole wheat pasta I used Trader Joe's Penne
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
• 2 cups mini tomatoes, halved
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 whole avocado, diced
• 3 cups fresh arugula optional, but delicious!

Instructions

1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package instructions. Then strain and let cool slightly. 

2. For dressing: In a large bowl, combine fresh basil, lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Whisk together.

3. Add slightly cooled pasta to large bowl containing dressing. Toss to coat pasta. Add all other ingredients to bowl and toss until well combined. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Recipe Notes

Feel free to add whatever fresh summer produce you have! Corn and peppers would make great additions, other fresh herbs could easily be tossed in, and if you like olives they may fit in too.