Spring Pasta Salad with Honey Sumac Dressing

Bowl of spring pasta salad loaded with asparagus, radish, spinach, herbs and a tangy sumac honey dressing.

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Spring Pasta Salad with Honey Sumac Dressing

My Spring Pasta Salad with Honey Sumac Dressing is bright, herby, tangy, and loaded with all the good green things: asparagus, peas, spinach, dill, parsley, and mint. It comes together quickly and is perfect for a light lunch, a side with dinner and meal prep.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Course: Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Seasonal

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: Servings

Author: Luay Ghafari

Cost: $20

Ingredients

For the Cooked Part of the Salad

12 oz Short pasta - Orecchiette, fusilli, farfalle or other
1 bunch Asparagus (trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces)
1 cup Peas - Fresh or frozen

Honey Sumac Dressing

¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp Lemon juice - From one lemon
1 tbsp Lemon zest - From one lemon
1 tbsp Honey
1 tsp Sumac
1 Garlic clove (grated or minced)
½ tsp Salt - You can add more after tasting
¼ tsp Black pepper

For the Rest of the Salad

2 cups Baby spinach
¼ cup Fresh dill (chopped)
¼ cup Fresh parsley (chopped)
2 tbsp Fresh mint (chopped)
5 Radishes (thinly sliced)
¼ cup Feta (crumbled) - use more if you like
¼ cup Pistachios (roughly chopped)

Instructions

Cook pasta, asparagus, and peas. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. During the last 2–3 minutes of cooking, add the chopped asparagus and peas directly to the pasta water. Drain and let everything cool slightly.
Make dressing. Make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, sumac, grated garlic, salt, and black pepper.
Assemble. In a large bowl, combine the cooled cooked pasta, tender asparagus, peas, baby spinach, herbs, radishes, feta, and pistachios.
Dress. Pour the honey sumac dressing over the salad and toss gently until everything is well coated. Taste and adjust with more lemon, salt, or sumac as needed.
Garnish. Feel free to add more nuts, crumbled feta to the top of the salad before serving. Serve the salad at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Notes

Refer to the blog post above if you need to see step-by-step photos.

Key Ingredient Notes:

Short Pasta: Fusilli, orecchiette, farfalle, or rotini all work well. Don’t use anything too bulky as it will not be as enjoyable to eat.
Peas: Fresh or frozen peas both work beautifully. But you can also use sliced snap peas.
Baby Spinach: Adds freshness; arugula can be used for a peppery twist. I like adding some greens to the salad for added fiber and to bulk it up a bit, too.
Radishes: For crunch and color; thinly sliced. Radishes can be a bit polarizing so if you don’t like them, leave them out.
Feta Cheese: Greek feta cheese is the way to go! It’s creamy and the sourness really plays nicely with the sweetness and freshness from the other ingredients. Try my Cucumber Radish Feta Salad, Traditional Greek Salad (Horiatiki) and my Greek Butter Bean salad if you like feta.
Sumac: This Middle Eastern spice brings a tangy and citrusy note. Optional, but highly recommended. Buy some from your local Middle Eastern market.

Other Useful Tips:

Cook the pasta just to al dente, so it holds its shape once dressed and chilled. Different shapes will have different cooking times, so use the package directions as a guide. It's better to test the doneness by trying the pasta yourself.
Cool the pasta slightly before adding the spinach and herbs so they don’t wilt too much. Don’t run it under cold water, as that will wash away the starch and the dressing won’t stick to the pasta.
Make-ahead friendly (with one tweak). This salad is great for meal prep, but for max crunch and minimal mush, keep the dressing separate.

Nutrition