Spinach Artichoke Pasta Salad
Light, lemony spinach artichoke pasta salad is perfect for summer.
Servings: 8 cups
Calories: 225kcal
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb short pasta
- 3 big handfuls baby spinach about 5 ounces
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
- 3/4 cup marinated artichoke hearts in olive oil
- juice & zest of 1 lemon
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese shaved
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 3/4 cup pasta water
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to instructions. (I like a short pasta with this particular dish, but use whatever you have.)
- Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water before draining. In a medium sized bowl, add butter to drained pasta along with the spinach.
- Toss to combine. (The heat from the pasta will slightly wilt the spinach.)
- Add artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest and juice. Toss again to combine. (The oil from the artichokes and tomatoes will make a light sauce with the lemon juice - add enough pasta water to get the consistency of the sauce that you like, you may not need the entire amount you reserved.)
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Using a vegetable peeler, shave a few curls of Parmesan on top and garnish with a little extra lemon zest.
Notes
There are endless variations on this pasta dish. Try it with broccoli instead of spinach. Add a few handfuls of broccoli to the pasta during the final 3 minutes of cooking, drain with the pasta and continue on.
Another addition that is delicious is ricotta cheese. Stir in a half cup of ricotta just before adding the pasta water.
Finally, one of my favorite stir-ins is this lemon herb sauce.
Nutrition
Serving: 11/3 cups | Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 705mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g