Spring Pea and Mint Pasta (Printable)

Vibrant pasta with sweet peas, fresh mint, and zesty lemon dressing. Perfect warm-weather dish ready in 25 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 9 oz small pasta such as farfalle, orecchiette, or penne

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
03 - 1 small cucumber, diced
04 - 3 spring onions, thinly sliced

→ Herbs

05 - 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
06 - 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

→ Cheese

07 - 1.75 oz feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

→ Lemon Vinaigrette

08 - 1 lemon, zested and juiced
09 - 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
11 - 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
12 - 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
13 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

# Method:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Add peas in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled pasta and peas with cucumber, spring onions, mint, and parsley.
03 - In a small bowl or jar, whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
04 - Pour vinaigrette over pasta salad and toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly.
05 - If using, sprinkle crumbled feta over salad and toss lightly. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
06 - Chill for 15 to 30 minutes before serving to develop optimal flavor.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 30 minutes, which means you can have dinner on the table before you've even sat down to think about what you're making.
  • The flavors feel fancy enough to impress people, but casual enough to eat straight from the bowl at a picnic without apology.
  • It's the kind of salad that actually tastes better the next day, so meal prep doesn't feel like a chore.
02 -
  • Don't toss the hot pasta with the vinaigrette immediately, or it'll absorb all the liquid and turn gloppy instead of glossy—letting everything cool first is the difference between a bright salad and a sad one.
  • The feta gets weepy and sad if you dress the salad hours in advance, so add it just before serving unless you're planning to eat it the next day, at which point it'll have melded beautifully into the dressing.
03 -
  • The quality of your lemon matters more than you'd think, so squeeze it fresh and don't use the bottled stuff, which tastes oddly metallic next to these delicate flavors.
  • If your salad tastes flat even after you've tasted it and adjusted the seasoning, it usually just needs more lemon or a pinch more salt—acidity and salt are what make flavors pop.
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