My dad’s an avid gardener. He can often be found reading his trusty old gardening book, tending to his plants, or his favorite thing: sitting in a lawn chair, drink in hand, “watching the garden grow”. For Memorial Day, not only was there plenty of fresh asparagus in the garden, but also (to our surprise) one tiny, perfect zucchini that had quickly grown.
After picking our bounty, I decided to throw together this big veggie-pasta salad, starring the asparagus. I love tossing a bunch of veggies in with a bit of pasta – it’s a great way to incorporate variety (and some lesser favorites, like peas), and with a lemony dressing & goat cheese, it makes a fine summer dish.
For the salad, toss together:
1/2 lb pasta, cooked
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup peas
1 small zucchini, diced
1 lb asparagus, chopped
goat cheese, crumbled
For the dressing, whisk together:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil (I used pecan oil)
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
Recipe based on this.