Gluten Free Asparagus and Lemon Pasta Salad with Parmesan
Fast, fresh, and delicious for all those picnics, cookouts, grills, and barbecues!
Dear friends,
A long weekend full of parties, potlucks and barbecue calls for a really snappy side dish, the kind full of texture and tang but this has to be a sturdy salad as well, one that won’t wilt in the sunlight or take forever to assemble. This gluten free asparagus and lemon pasta salad with parmesan is just the thing. Start off by boiling your pasta a couple of minutes less than the box or bag instructs - gluten free pasta can get mushy quick. Then in a flash cook some asparagus and garlic, just until the asparagus turns vibrant in color, and mix it all together with olive oil, lemon juice and zest and some parmesan shavings. Eat right away or let it soak up the lemon goodness for a couple of hours in the fridge. Perfect for memorial day.
I made this seasonal salad at a cooking class recently, and one of the attendees cried when she ate it! When asparagus season moves along, feel free to make this salad with whatever vegetables are in season, green beans, tomatoes, summer squashes, peas and shell beans would all be wonderful.
The dressing of lemon and olive oil keeps and holds well, you don’t have to worry about it as much as mayonnaise based dressings when eating outdoors - my favorite way to dine!
Asparagus & Lemon Pasta Salad
serves 4
8 ounces gluten free penne (or other short) pasta
2 Tb olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 pound asparagus
2 Tb olive oil
2 ounces Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Grated lemon zest of one lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Cook the penne 2 minutes shorter than the package directions. Â Drain, in a colander, toss some ice in to help the pasta cool quicker.
Slice the garlic into thin slivers and cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces. Heat a large skillet over medium high, add olive oil and garlic, cook for 1 minute. Add the asparagus and cook for 4 more minutes. Remove from the heat.Â
Use a vegetable peeler to shave the parmesan into thin pieces. Add the cheese, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and toss to combine. Enjoy right away or stash in the fridge before taking it to picnics and parties on the go, or enjoying for lunch for several days!
Gluten Free Pasta Salad Tricks
Some gluten free pastas can get mushy over time, the first order of business is to choose a good quality gluten free pasta- I love the ones made in italy, they have better texture overall. The next step is to undercook your pasta by 2 minutes - whatever it says on the package just subtract 2 minutes. The most important step when making a gluten free pasta salad may be cooling the pasta down quickly, it will keep cooking when it comes out of the pot as it’s still hot, but if you throw in some ice cubes it will stop cooking quickly and you’ll have a beautiful texture for your salad! (I’ll post a video on instagram )
Gluten Free Summer Quick Tip
Make sure you download gluten free restaurant finding apps before your trip so you can find reviews of restaurants from other gluten free eaters, and hopefully steer clear of unsafe establishments (caveat - read reviews carefully, and look for completely gluten free restaurants and restaurants recommended for celiacs) A few of my favorites are:
Find Me Gluten Free - This one has come through for me many times, it is widely used, people post menus, their gluten free experiences at the restaurants, and how safe they are; however not all reviewers are celiac or very sensitive to gluten so look VERY carefully!
Spokin - Has information for multiple food allergies not just gluten!
Gluten Dude - Lists 100% gluten free restaurants
Shar Gluten Free - Great for european travel, especially to multiple countries
