Healthy Pasta Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

I adore this vibrant, veggie-packed pasta salad perfect for quick lunches and potlucks! It's loaded with sweet tomatoes, crisp cucumber, arugula, and creamy feta all tossed in a bright lemon basil dressing--no mayo needed. (Bonus that it has tons of texture and holds up beautifully in the fridge!) Make it main-worthy with higher protein pasta, add chickpeas, or serve alongside grilled chicken.

As soon as the weather starts to get all glorious on me I'm running toward healthy pasta salad recipes like it's my job.

I make my bow tie pasta salad with broccoli and Italian dressing on repeat all summer but there's something about fresh basil that makes me simply swoon. The smell! The flavor! Summer in an herb I tell you.

The punchy flavor of my creamy lemon basil dressing is everything and I knew I had to smother it over a hugh jass bowl of noodles, lots of tangy feta cheese, and crisp summer veggies. This is pasta salad heaven, ok?!

A peek into recipe testing

• Pasta: I developed this recipe using my favorite Brami curly macaroni made with lupini beans because it packs a protein and fiber punch. I also tested this with regular bow tie noodles and loved it! The key is not over-cooking the pasta here. We don't want mushy noodles that break down when you stir in the other ingredients!
• Lemon basil dressing: First I tried this recipe with my 5-min vegan pesto with walnuts but I wanted something a little lighter. More olive oil and fresh lemon juice makes everything better, am I right? Extra basil in the salad also boosted the fresh, herby flavor in the best way.
• Feta: The first time I made this, I used pre-crumbled feta. It wasn't as moist and the flavor fell flat. The solution? Get a block of feta and it'll taste 10x better!
• Arugula: I found in recipe testing that peppery arugula stands out as a flavor secret weapon amongst the more mild veggies. It adds that little something extra, ya know? Don't skip it!

Let's make it!

Storage

Store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Because of the fresh veggies, I prefer eating this within the first two days. You can always add a spritz of lemon juice to liven it up!

Healthy Pasta Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

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• Author: Alexis Joseph, MS, RD
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: Pasta Salads
• Method: Stoevtop
• Cuisine: Mediterranean-Inspired
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

I adore this vibrant, veggie-packed pasta salad perfect for quick lunches and potlucks! It's loaded with sweet tomatoes, crisp cucumber, arugula, and creamy feta all tossed in a bright lemon basil dressing--no mayo needed. (Bonus that it has tons of texture and holds up beautifully in the fridge!) Make it main-worthy with higher protein pasta, add chickpeas, or serve alongside grilled chicken.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 12 oz box pasta, like curly macaroni, bow tie, rotini, etc.
• 1 ½ cups diced persian cucumber
• 1 ½ cups (10oz) grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 cups arugula
• ⅓ cup basil, thinly sliced
• 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled (I recommend getting a block vs pre-crumbled, so much better!)

For the lemon basil dressing:

• 1 cup fresh basil (.75 oz)
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ tsp fine sea salt (+ freshly ground black pepper, to taste

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Instructions

1. Cook noodles in a large pot of salted water per the package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, make lemon basil dressing by combining all the dressing ingredients in a blender or Nutribullet until smooth. 
3. Place drained and cooled noodles in a large mixing bowl. Add cucumber, tomatoes, arugula, basil, and feta.
4. Drizzle with dressing and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. I like to serve mine with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Serve chilled! This is also delish with chickpeas or chicken for lunch. Store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days!

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